View source for Kvalserien

{{Infobox sports league
| logo     = 
| pixels   = 
| current_season = 2014 Kvalserien
| sport    = Ice hockey
| founded  = 1975
| folded   = 2014
| teams    = 6
| country  = [[Sweden]]
| champion = [[Örebro HK]], [[Djurgårdens IF]] ([[2014 Kvalserien|2014]])
| website  = [http://www.hockeyallsvenskan.se/ Kvalserien @ HockeyAllsvenskan.se]
}}
''This article is about the Kvalserien qualification for Elitserien. For other Kvalserien qualifications, see [[Kvalserien (disambiguation)]].''
'''Kvalserien''', also known as ''Kvalserien till SHL'', was the [[Sweden|Swedish]] round-robin ice hockey tournament to qualify for play in the next season of the [[Swedish Hockey League]] (SHL, previously named Elitserien), Sweden's top-level ice hockey league for men. It was by a playoff round in the [[2014–15 SHL season|2014–15 season]].<ref name="Kvalserien replaced by playoff round">{{cite web |url=http://www.hockeyallsvenskan.se/nyheter/3blzyljp43 |title=SHL och HockeyAllsvenskan utvecklar elithockeyn |publisher=[[HockeyAllsvenskan]] |language=Swedish |date=13 March 2014 |accessdate=16 April 2014}}</ref>
==Teams==
Kvalserien is formed after the regular seasons of the [[Swedish Hockey League]] (SHL, formerly named Elitserien) and the second-tier league [[HockeyAllsvenskan]] have been played. The two worst ranked teams in the SHL and the best four teams in HockeyAllsvenskan form the league together with the winner of a six-round round-robin tournament between the teams ranked 4–7 from HockeyAllsvenskan. The six teams play each other twice, once at home ice and once on the road, for 10 games per team and a total of 30 games. The two teams finishing first and second are promoted to the SHL the next season, while the remaining four teams play in HockeyAllsvenskan the next season.

==Previous winners==
{{col-begin-small}}
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*[[1975 Kvalserien|1975]] - [[Djurgårdens IF Hockey|Djurgårdens IF]], [[Södertälje SK]]
*[[1976 Kvalserien|1976]] - [[IF Björklöven]], [[Örebro IK]]
*[[1977 Kvalserien|1977]] - [[Djurgårdens IF Hockey|Djurgårdens IF]], [[Timrå IK]]
*[[1978 Kvalserien|1978]] - [[Örebro IK]], [[IF Björklöven]]
*[[1979 Kvalserien|1979]] - [[IF Björklöven]], [[HV71]]
*[[1980 Kvalserien|1980]] - [[Skellefteå AIK]], [[Södertälje SK]]
*[[1981 Kvalserien|1981]] - [[Leksands IF]], [[Timrå IK]]
*[[1982 Kvalserien|1982]] - [[Hammarby IF Hockey (1921–2008)|Hammarby IF]], [[Djurgårdens IF Hockey|Djurgårdens IF]]
*[[1983 Kvalserien|1983]] - [[Modo Hockey|Modo AIK]]
*[[1984 Kvalserien|1984]] - [[Hammarby IF Hockey (1921–2008)|Hammarby IF]]
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*[[1985 Kvalserien|1985]] - [[HV71]]
*[[1986 Kvalserien|1986]] - [[Modo Hockey|Modo AIK]]
*[[1987 Kvalserien|1987]] - [[Modo Hockey|Modo AIK]], [[Väsby IK Hockey|Väsby IK]]
*[[1988 Kvalserien|1988]] - [[VIK Västerås HK|IK VIK Hockey]]
*[[1989 Kvalserien|1989]] - [[Frölunda HC|Västra Frölunda HC]]
*[[1990 Kvalserien|1990]] - [[Modo Hockey]]
*[[1991 Kvalserien|1991]] - [[Frölunda HC|Västra Frölunda HC]]
*[[1992 Kvalserien|1992]] - [[Leksands IF]]
*[[1993 Kvalserien|1993]] - [[IF Björklöven]]
*[[1994 Kvalserien|1994]] - [[AIK IF|AIK]]
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*[[1995 Kvalserien|1995]] - [[Rögle BK]]
*[[1996 Kvalserien|1996]] - [[Brynäs IF]]
*[[1997 Kvalserien|1997]] - [[Södertälje SK]], [[VIK Västerås HK]]
*[[1998 Kvalserien|1998]] - [[AIK IF|AIK]], [[IF Björklöven]]
*[[1999 Kvalserien|1999]] - [[Linköpings HC]], [[VIK Västerås HK]]
*[[2000 Kvalserien|2000]] - [[Timrå IK]], [[IF Björklöven]]
*[[2001 Kvalserien|2001]] - [[Södertälje SK]], [[Linköpings HC]]
*[[2002 Kvalserien|2002]] - [[Timrå IK]], [[Leksands IF]]
*[[2003 Kvalserien|2003]] - [[Linköpings HC]], [[Brynäs IF]]
*[[2004 Kvalserien|2004]] - [[Malmö Redhawks|MIF Redhawks]], [[Mora IK]]
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*[[2005 Kvalserien|2005]] - [[Leksands IF]], [[Brynäs IF]]
*[[2006 Kvalserien|2006]] - [[Malmö Redhawks|IF Malmö Redhawks]], [[Skellefteå AIK]]
*[[2007 Kvalserien|2007]] - [[Skellefteå AIK]], [[Södertälje SK]]
*[[2008 Kvalserien|2008]] - [[Brynäs IF]], [[Rögle BK]]
*[[2009 Kvalserien|2009]] - [[Södertälje SK]], [[Rögle BK]]
*[[2010 Kvalserien|2010]] - [[Södertälje SK]], [[AIK IF|AIK]]
*[[2011 Kvalserien|2011]] - [[Växjö Lakers]], [[Modo Hockey]]
*[[2012 Kvalserien|2012]] - [[Timrå IK]], [[Rögle BK]]
*[[2013 Kvalserien|2013]] - [[Örebro HK]], [[Leksands IF]]
*[[2014 Kvalserien|2014]] - [[Örebro HK]], [[Djurgårdens IF Hockey|Djurgårdens IF]]
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==Previous seasons==
===2000 season===
{{Main|2000 Kvalserien}}

[[IF Björklöven]] and [[Timrå IK]] returned to Elitserien after respectively one and eighteen seasons in lesser divisions. [[VIK Västerås HK]] and [[Linköpings HC]] were relegated to [[HockeyAllsvenskan]].

===2001 season===
{{Main|2001 Kvalserien}}

[[Linköpings HC]] and [[Södertälje SK]] returned to Elitserien after one and three seasons, respectively, in lesser divisions. [[Leksands IF]] and [[IF Björklöven]] were relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan.

===2002 season===
{{Main|2002 Kvalserien}}

[[Timrå IK]] re-qualified for Elitserien and [[Leksands IF]] returned to Elitserien after one year in lesser divisions. [[AIK IF|AIK]] were relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan.

===2003 season===
{{Main|2003 Kvalserien}}

Both [[Linköpings HC]] and [[Brynäs IF]] re-qualified for Elitserien.

===2004 season===
{{Main|2004 Kvalserien}}

[[Malmö Redhawks]] re-qualified for Elitserien and [[Mora IK]] qualified for Elitserien for the first time in club history. [[Leksands IF]] were relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan.

===2005 season===
{{Main|2005 Kvalserien}}

[[Brynäs IF]] re-qualified for Elitserien and [[Leksands IF]] returned to Elitserien after one year in lesser divisions. [[Malmö Redhawks]] were relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan.

===2006 season===
{{Main|2006 Kvalserien}}

[[Malmö Redhawks]] and [[Skellefteå AIK]] respectively finished first and second and qualified for play in Elitserien in the 2006–07 season. [[Södertälje SK]] and [[Leksands IF]] were relegated from Elitserien and were forced to spend the 2006-07 season in HockeyAllsvenskan.

===2007 season===
{{Main|2007 Kvalserien}}

[[Skellefteå AIK]] re-qualified for Elitserien and [[Södertälje SK]] returned to Elitserien after one year in lesser divisions.

===2008 season===
{{Main|2008 Kvalserien}}

[[Brynäs IF]] remained in the highest league and [[Rögle BK]] were promoted to Elitserien at the expense of [[Mora IK]].

===2009 season===
{{Main|2009 Kvalserien}}

[[Södertälje SK]] and [[Rögle BK]] ended up respectively second and first and both re-qualified for Elitserien for the 2009–10 season.

===2010 season===
{{Main|2010 Kvalserien}}

[[Södertälje SK]] finished first in Kvalserien for the second consecutive year, and [[AIK IF|AIK]] returned to Elitserien after eight seasons in lesser divisions.

===2011 season===
{{Main|2011 Kvalserien}}

[[Växjö Lakers]], HockeyAllsvenskan's regular-season winners, finished with 26 points and qualified for Elitserien for the first time in club history, at the expense of [[Södertälje SK]]. [[Modo Hockey]] re-qualified for Elitserien.

===2012 season===
{{Main|2012 Kvalserien}}

[[Timrå IK]] defended their Elitserien spot, while [[Rögle BK]] returned to Elitserien after two years and replaced [[Djurgårdens IF Hockey|Djurgårdens IF]] who were relegated to the second-tier league, HockeyAllsvenskan, for the first time since the [[1977–78 Elitserien season|1977–78 season]]. Rögle became the first HockeyAllsvenskan team in history to qualify for Elitserien by winning the playoff round to get into the Kvalserien.

===2013 season===
{{Main|2013 Kvalserien}}

For the first time since 2006, neither of the two Elitserien teams, [[Timrå IK]] and [[Rögle BK]], managed to defend their Elitserien/SHL spot. Instead, HockeyAllsvenskan teams [[Örebro HK]] (who qualified through a Playoff round-robin tournament) and regular-season winner [[Leksands IF]] took the two available spots for the [[2013–14 SHL season]]. Örebro promoted to the SHL for the first time in club history, while Leksand returned to the SHL for the first time since [[2005–06 Elitserien season|2005–06]]. Timrå were relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan for the first time since [[1999–2000 Allsvenskan (ice hockey) season|1999–2000]], while Rögle's return to Elitserien lasted for only one season.
===2014 season===
{{Main|2014 Kvalserien}}

The 40th and final Kvalserien ended with [[Örebro HK]] defending their SHL spot and [[Djurgårdens IF Hockey|Djurgårdens IF]] returning to the top-tier league after a two-year stint in HockeyAllsvenskan. [[AIK IF|AIK]] were relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan.

==References==

<div class="references-small">
{{reflist|2}}
</div>

{{Ice hockey in Sweden}}
{{Wikipedia}}
[[Category:Kvalserien]]
[[Category:Tournaments]]