Liiga vs Czech Extraliga

How would you compare/contrast Liiga and Czech Extraliga?

Liiga and Czech's top hockey league are quite on par with one another with Liiga maybe taking the slight edge in terms of the overall leagues strength. Both leagues are high level and great places to play.

Our team has scouted many years of matches in each of these respective leagues.

Liiga

Liiga is the top ice hockey league in Finland.

Czech Extraliga

The Czech Extraliga is the top pro ice hockey league in all of Czech Republic.

Location: Finland

Location: Czech Republic

Skill Level in Liiga

Liiga is the highest professional hockey league in Finland. Founded in 1975, the league has 15 clubs that span from the South near Helsinki all the way up to the Arctic Circle. It's considered by many to be one of the stronger leagues in Europe.

Skill Level in Czech Extraliga

The Czech Extraliga, founded in 1993, is well known in the region for its high skill level, passionate fan bases, and competitive environment from team to team.

Player Perspective: Liiga

"Liiga is the perfect league to play in, especially as an import from North America who enjoys the physical play paired with skill. I'd agree that Liiga's caliber is up there with a number of the top leagues in Europe based on my experience also playing in Germany and Austria. The fans hear love their hockey.

Player Perspective: Czech Extraliga

"Playing in Extraliga near home as a younger player helped me grow as a player and prepared me for the NHL."

Number of Teams in Liiga: 15

Number of Teams in Czech Extraliga: 14

Caliber of Players and Imports in Liiga

Skill level of Liiga players is extremely high, with only the best Finnish players moving up to the highest league. For imports, teams expect players in Europe with strong resumes and players from North America with high-end ECHL/AHL experience on their resumes. Some even have NHL games played. This shows the strength of the league.

Caliber of Players and Imports in Czech Extraliga

The Czech Extraliga is full of players with top Czech talent as well as imports with proven track records in Europe or North America. Imports typically include former AHL/ECHL players or standout performers from other strong European hockey leagues.