The Supreme Hockey League (VHL), known in Russian as Vysshaya hokkeinaya liga (ВХЛ), is the second-highest level of professional ice hockey in Russia. The league’s visual identity has undergone two documented phases: a color emblem introduced at its founding in 2010, and a minimalist black-and-white shield adopted in 2017.
Design and History
The original Supreme Hockey League logo was presented on June 22, 2010, by the league’s managing director, German Skoropupov. The emblem took the form of a stylized rectangular shield with a blue outline, its lower edge tapering to create a fifth point. The shield carried a unified design in the colors of the Russian flag: white, blue, and red. The Cyrillic abbreviation “ВХЛ” appeared in the center of the blue element, and the white and red elements were separated from the blue element by a stylized hockey stick. Skoropupov noted that the league had worked for a long time on creating a modern logo and that a unified style and continuity with the symbols of the KHL, VHL, and MHL had been maintained.[1]
In July 2017, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) presented a new VHL logo for the 2017/2018 season. The logo has the form of a shield and uses a minimalist black-and-white color scheme. According to the RIHF, because of the international status of the league, the Russian flag’s colors were not included in the new design.[2] Russian media described the new emblem as an improved version of the previous logo, also noting its shield shape and minimalist black-and-white palette.[3]
The league has also produced special playoff and anniversary logos. A playoff logo for 2016 was designed as a shield with a stylized image of the Bratina Cup, the league’s main trophy at the time.[4] For the 2025/2026 playoffs, the league presented a logo based on an updated image of the Champion of Russia Cup, framed by a classic shield shape and rendered in the league’s customary black-and-white palette.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The documented symbolism of the Supreme Hockey League logo is limited to the official descriptions of its two main versions. The 2010 emblem used the colors of the Russian flag, white, blue, and red, arranged in a single pattern on a blue-outlined shield, with the league’s Cyrillic abbreviation at the center.[1] The 2017 redesign deliberately removed the Russian flag colors due to the league’s international status, adopting a minimalist black-and-white shield instead.[2]
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