U20 SM-sarja

U20 SM-sarja
FormerlyNuorten SM-liiga
SportIce hockey
Founded1945 (1945)
FounderFinnish Ice Hockey Association
No. of teams18
CountryFinland
Most recent
champion(s)
Ässät U20
(2023–24)
Most titlesTampereen Ilves U20 (22)
TV partner(s)Ruutu
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toU20 Mestis
Related
competitions
Liiga
Official websiteU20 SM-sarja

The U20 SM-sarja ('Under-20 Finnish Championship Series') is the premier junior men's ice hockey league in Finland. It was previously known as the A-nuorten SM-sarja ('Junior A Finnish Championship Series') during 1945 to 1991 and the Nuorten SM-liiga ('Junior Finnish Championship League') during 1991 to 2020. The league was founded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 1945 and a Finnish Champion in men's under-20 ice hockey has been named annually since the league's inaugural season – with the exception of the 2019–20 season, in which the playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighteen to twenty teams compete in the U20 SM-sarja regular season, which is played in a preliminary ranking stage followed by a divisional or group stage.