Sokil Kyiv
Following the 2008–09 season in the Russian league, the club announced they would rejoin the Belarusian Extraleague for the following year. This was a move largely attributed to the financial burdens brought on by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation's (RHF) mandate that foreign teams pay for the travel, accommodations, and meals of visiting teams. The RHF also demanded that foreign teams pay an annual fee of p. 1,500,000 (approx €35,000).