Skellefteå Faces Harsh Punishment in SDHL

In a shocking move with potentially huge consequences for the remainder of the SDHL season, league administrators have docked Skellefteå AIK ten points in the standings for failure to comply with rules regarding homegrown players.

Teams in the SDHL are required to dress a minimum of ten Swedish players for every game. A player is considered “Swedish” if she was registered with a Swedish club for a minimum of three junior (under 18-years old) seasons. Skellefteå broke the rule in their four most recent matches, where they rostered 21 players but only nine qualified as “Swedish” according to the regulations.

General Manager Ulrika Dahlgren accepts that the team made the mistake, but goes on to explain, “the intention was to give our younger players playing time with our partner club[/farm team] Clemensnäs instead of parking them on the bench in the SDHL. In doing so, we [accidentally] broke the provision regarding Swedish homegrown players in the line up. It feels tragic that this decision will affect our players who have worked so hard to put the team in a good position [in the standings].”

Club Director Daniel Fåhraeus was clear: “The decision is not at all in proportion to the error committed, and we will appeal. We gained no competitive advantage in any way. It seems incredibly harsh to take those ten points from us.”

Fåhraeus has a point: while the roster error occurred in four games, it had no impact at all on three of them, as the “extra import player” was back up goalie Blanka Skodová, signed after injury to Swedish back up Miranda Dahlgren. Indeed, Skodová only actually played (and therefore had an impact) in one of the four games: Skellefteå’s December 12 shootout loss to Frölunda.

The league’s import rules exist for a very important reason: to preserve the league as the premier stage for the development of top Swedish talent. That Skellefteå broke those rules is not being questioned. But the punishment should fit the crime. GM Dahlgren and her staff have done an exemplary job this season, and have assembled a team capable of knocking off some of the league’s heavyweights. They have beaten MoDo, Frölunda, Brynäs, and others. They have kept most of their games close and entertaining. They compete hard, and because of that, they earned their position in the standings: fifth out of ten. If they are penalized a full ten points, they will fall to eighth place, their 20 points tying them with HV71, and putting them at risk of landing in the Relegation Round.

Skellefteå has built a team patiently, over years, first to win promotion from the NDHL, and now to compete sustainably in the SDHL. They made a mistake and are accepting fault. Hopefully, the SDHL will modify their punishment to more proportionally fit the crime.