Liiga vs Mestis

How would you compare/contrast Liiga and Mestis?

Liiga and Mestis are both quality hockey leagues and the top two in Finland. Liiga is obviously the stronger of the two as it’s the top tier. A number of younger players working there way up to Liiga spend time in Mestis as they develop.
liiga vs mestis hockey
We’ve spent a number of years scouting games in both leagues (Liiga and Mestis) so our analysis is based on this first hand experience.

Leagues At A Glance

Liiga

Liiga is the top ice hockey league in Finland.

Mestis

Mestis is the 2nd highest level of ice hockey in Finland.

Location: Finland

Location: Finland

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 Mestis

It's a quality 2nd league in a powerhouse hockey country. In general, Mestis is a slightly younger league with a lot of quality up-and-coming talent. Compared to other hockey countries, most clubs here don't have the same financial budgets that other 2nd leagues (HockeyAllsvenskan, DEL2) might have. The majority of players in the league are Finnish.

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: Mestis

"It's a good league with lot of young players coming up. We play in southern Finland (Södra) so our travel schedule is a bit lighter, but we keep busy between all training, matches, and team event. I have played in Liiga of course, but am happy here now raising a family in my home town."

Number of Teams in Liiga: 15

Number of Teams in Mestis: 12

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 Mestis

As we mentioned above, the majority of players across Mestis are Finnish. This equates to less imports on each team throughout the league. The caliber of play in Mestis is good as it's filled with a mix of talented young players and veterans. The average age across all teams is young with team average ages ranging from 22 on the lower side and 25-26 average age on on the high end. In most cases, if you're an import here, teams will expect you to have some good pro experience or strong stats playing in NCAA/USports/etc. Since they're picky about imports in Mestis, this is especially the case.
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