A press conference regarding VHL is held by Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau in Harbin. [Photo/Chinanews.com] 

The highest-level ice hockey league in Asia will host a match in Harbin, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on Sept 14. Kunlunhongxing Ice Hockey Club will represent China to compete against Russia’s Snowstorm team.

The Russian Championship Superleague (RSL) is the highest division of the main professional ice hockey leagues in Russia. It is considered the second best league in the world, after the National Hockey League (NHL) of North America.

In 2009, a league affiliated to RSL was established, named VHL. Currently, the league has a total of 27 teams from Russia, China and Kazakhstan.

It is the first time that such a high-level event of this type has been held in Heilongjiang, said an official from Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau.

Heilongjiang was chosen as the host site of VHL due to its efforts at developing ice hockey as a sport.

Statistics released by the National Sports Administration in April reveal that 100 out of the 101 ice hockey players entering the National Ice Hockey Team during the 2017-2018 season are from Heilongjiang province.

During this year’s VHL, Kunlunhongxing Ice Hockey Club, which is made up of 20 Chinese players with an average age of 24, will represent China to compete against players from Russia and Kazakhstan on Sept 14.

The event is an important sports cooperation project between China and Russia, which is expected to play an important role in boosting the development of ice hockey in China, said Zhao Yingliang, an official from Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau.