Did SDHL games get less penalized over time?

In the jubilee export, average PIM per game fell from 21.0 in 2016/17 to the low teens in recent seasons (11.9 in 2024/25, 13.9 in 2025/26). Jubilee-wide average is 13.9.

Did overtime disappear too?

No. OT share dipped as low as 9.4% in 2018/19, then sat near 19% in 2022/23–2025/26. Less box time does not mean fewer late twists.

MotherDuck SDHL gold via sdhl_extended.json (exported 2026-07-09).

SDHL got calmer: how penalty minutes quietly fell off a cliff

Fans argue about whether modern hockey is “softer.” The SDHL sheet has a quieter answer: the box got less crowded.

The short version

Average PIM/game: 21.0 → ~12–14 across the jubilee era.
OT nights: down to 9.4% (2018/19), then back near 19% lately.
Still a tight league: 36% of games are one-goal affairs.

Penalty minutes per game

Season	Avg PIM
2016/17	21.0
2017/18	17.8
2018/19	17.4
2019/20	15.6
2020/21	18.0
2021/22	14.7
2022/23	14.6
2023/24	12.6
2024/25	11.9
2025/26	13.9

Jubilee-wide average: 13.9 PIM per game. That is a different sport-feel from a 21-PIM night.

Overtime did not retire

Season	OT games	OT %
2018/19	17 / 180	9.4%
2022/23	28 / 144	19.4%
2023/24	34 / 180	18.9%
2024/25	34 / 180	18.9%
2025/26	34 / 180	18.9%

Fewer penalties, still plenty of games that refuse to end in sixty minutes. Pair this with the hat-trick/rivalry note: the SDHL can be both a knife fight and, occasionally, a 13–1 poster.

What we are not claiming

Not a referee-quality study (SHL/HA assignment effects need game_referees_json + events — script ready, lake token required).
Not proof that players “got nicer” — rule emphasis, roster mix, and special-teams strategy all move PIM.

Method

pim_trend and ot_trend in sdhl_extended.json (exported 2026-07-09).

Source: The Hockey Analytics · MotherDuck SDHL · Stockholm.