Whether you're a current player wanting to know earning potential across hockey leagues in Europe OR you're just curious to know "how much do hockey players make in Europe?", this post will cover hockey league salaries across a ton of leagues for you.
We'll cover Alps Hockey League to Sweden Division 1 hockey salary and Ligue Magnus all the way down to Suomi Sarja salary....
Let's get started...
Much like any other profession, the salary range for hockey players in Europe differs greatly depending on a number of factors:
- which league/country you're playing in
- size of the organizations budget (sponsors, promotion/delegation, city support, ticket sales)
- your CV + playing experience
- supply/demand
- tax regulation
- your age, citizenship, etc
Each of these factors can play a big role in how much salary hockey players make across Europe.
A number of leagues across Europe pay their import players tax free, therefore, it's important to keep this in mind when looking at a number of these figures below.
Since it would be impossible to give you an exact number per each individual club, we will instead provide a solid salary range per a variety of leagues based on our knowledge through our network and the highs/lows players have provided us.
Note: All of these leagues are based in Europe so the salary numbers below will be shown in Euros.
European Hockey League Salaries
SHL Salary: 80,000- 300,000+ Euro (the high end of this range can get quite a bit higher for select imports/star players)
Allsvenskan Salary: 18,000-48,000 Euro
Sweden Division 1 Salary: 10,000-25,000 Euro (high end + only imports)
Denmark Metal Ligaen Salary: 17,000- 39,000 Euro
Germany DEL Salary: 90,000-350,000 Euro (a few elite players make a bit more outside this range)
Germany DEL2 Salary: 20,000-90,000 Euro
Germany Oberliga Salary: 15,000-40,000 Euro (imports)
Erste Liga Salary (Hungary & Romania): 15,000-50,000 Euro
Slovakia Extraliga: 18,000-64,000 Euro
BeNeLiga Salary (Netherlands & Belgium): 10,000-30,000 Euro (high end + imports only)
Alps Hockey League: 15,000-40,000 Euro
Poland (Polish Hockey League) Salary: 15,000-60,000 Euro
Liiga Salary: 75,000-300,000 Euro
Mestis Salary: 10,000-30,000 Euro (high end)
Suomi Sarja Salary: up to 15,000 Euro (high end + imports only)
Norway Get Ligaen Salary: 22,000-50,000 Euro
ICEHL (formerly EBEL) Salary: 40,000- 150,000 Euro
UK EIHL Salary: 15,000-50,000 Euro
UK NIHL Salary: 5,000-25,000 Euro (high end + imports only)
Swiss National League (NL) Salary: 215,000-300,000 Euro
Swiss League (SL) Salary: 40,000-90,000 Euro
Czech ExtraLiga Salary: 50,000-250,000+ Euro
Czech 1 Liga Salary: 15,000-35,000 Euro
Belarus (ExtraLeague A) Hockey League: 15,000-60,000 Euro
France Ligue Magnus Salary: 15,000-40,000 Euro
France Division 1 (France 2) Salary: 7,000-20,000 Euro (imports only)
France Division 2 (France3) Salary: 5,000-18,000 Euro (imports only)
Latvia (Obtibet Hokeja Liga) Salary: 8,000- 25,000 Euro (high end)
Spain Liga Nacional Hockey Hielo Salary: Up to 10,000-15,000 Euro (imports only)
Iceland Hockey League Salary: Up to 12,500 Euro (imports only)
For a number of the mid-level leagues above, players can be paid a bit less (unless there is a set league minimum- varies per country). Some players are further compensated beyond import salary in alternative ways such as paid masters programs, added team equipment budgets, housing, free car/gas, and other expenses throughout the duration of the season. To gain more understanding on the various leagues and culture overseas all the way to the skill level and expectations, we covered these in-depth in European Hockey Leagues: The Definitive Guide.
As stated earlier in this post, hockey salary ranges in Europe differ from club to club and can change a bit year to year. This is due to a combination of sponsorship deals, promotion/delegation, and so on.
With that being said, it is important not to take each number too literally. This is an accurate range though. You also need to account for the fact that with import players, clubs have a number of additional costs (ITC, flights, transportation, housing) to keep in mind when bringing an import over.
In European Hockey Teams Looking For Players, we go over the main ways in which hockey clubs go about finding new import players.
If you are looking to play pro hockey in Europe, send us a message by clicking here. If we feel that our that agency can help you in your goals, we’ll talk next steps and decide on the best route to take with you based on your situation.
