National League B

The National League B is the second level of professional ice hockey in Switzerland. It was established in 1947.

Format
As of 2009-10, the ten clubs in the league play a 45 games regular season, during which each team meets each other 5 times. The eight best teams then advance to the playoffs. They last three rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals and finals) and have a best-of-seven format.

Each season, the league's champion gets to play a best-of-seven series against the last-seeded team of the National League A. This series determinates the participants in each league for both leagues. Should the winner of the NLB win the series, they get promoted to the NLA, while the other team is relegated to the NLB. A qualification series also used to exist to determine whether a team from the Swiss 1.Liga is promoted to the NLB. The last four teams of the regular season meet in the playouts, followed by a series with the 1.Liga champion. This qualification has not been played for several seasons, however.

History
For three seasons, from 2006-07 to 2008-09, the U20 Swiss National Team played in the NLB along with the professional teams.

In recent years, the size of the league has continuously shrunk as teams decided to withdraw from the league for various reasons, usually financial. HC Forward-Morges was the first one to step out in 2005-06, followed two seasons later by both EHC Chur and HC Martigny. If HC Thurgau was promoted to replace Morges, Chur and Martigny were not replaced, leaving the league with 12 teams instead of 14; 12 being the number including the Swiss U20, which were playing an incomplete schedule and did not take part in the playoffs. HC Neuchâtel Young Sprinters also dropped from the league prior to the 2009-10 NLB season, leaving the league with only 10 clubs.

2011-12 Teams

 * HC Ajoie
 * EHC Basel
 * HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
 * SC Langenthal
 * HC Lausanne
 * GCK Lions
 * EHC Olten
 * HC Sierre
 * EHC Visp
 * HC Thurgau

Season 2008/09

 * HC Ajoie - since 1999/2000
 * EHC Basel - relegated from NLA in 2007/08
 * HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
 * SC Langenthal
 * HC Lausanne
 * GCK Lions
 * EHC Olten
 * HC Sierre
 * EHC Visp
 * HC Thurgau - since 2006/07
 * Swiss U20 Team

in former times

 * EHC Biel - promoted to NLA in 2007/08
 * EHC Chur - withdrawal end of season 2007/08
 * HC Forward-Morges - withdrawal end of season 2005/06
 * HC Martigny - withdrawal end of season 2007/08