The National Youth Hockey League's line-up and structure have been confirmed

The Russian Ice Hockey Federation has confirmed the team list for the 2016/2017 National Youth Hockey League. 20 clubs have been included, and they have been separated into different conferences based on their location:

Western Conference:

1. HC Belgorod (Belgorod);

2. Dizelist (Penza);

3. HC Dmitrov (Dmitrov);

4. Draguni (Mozhaysk);

5. Zelenograd (Moscow);

6. Krylya Kubani (Krasnodar);

7. Loko-Yunior (Yaroslavl);

8. HC Lipetsk (Lipetsk);

9. Rossosh (Voronezhskaya Region);

10. Severskie Volki (Krasnodarskiy Kray);

11. SKA-Karelia (Kondopoga);

12. Tverichi (Tver);

13. HC Bryansk (Bryansk).

Eastern Conference:

1. Batyr (Nizhnekamsk);

2. Gornyak (Uchali);

3. Krasnoyarskie Rysi (Krasnoyarsk);

4. Mechel (Chelyabinsk);

5. Progress (Glazov);

6. Yuzhny Ural – Metallurg (Orsk);

7. Yunior (Kurgan).

18 competitors have transferred from the MHL-B, and two new clubs have joined from Krasnodarsky Kray.

The National Youth Hockey League’s structure for the 2016/2017 season

Two stages will form the competition:

- The first part will be the regular season:

During the regular season, teams in the Western Conference will compete against each other twice both home and away.

In the Eastern Conference, teams will play each other four times both home and away.

Teams will play 48 matches during the regular season.

- Playoff rounds will be the second stage’s component:

The best eight in the west, and the top six in the east, will hold the right to compete in the playoffs.

Western Conference playoff line-ups: 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5.

Eastern Conference playoff line-ups: the best two teams in the conference will automatically qualify for the second playoff round. The third team will play the sixth, while the fourth will compete against the seventh.

The conference winning teams will meet in the final, while the conference runners up will face each other in a third place playoff series.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation