The league was formed on July 25, 2011, in Kiev, Ukraine, to reflect its fully professional status, apart from its predecessor organization, the Major League (Ukrainian: Вища ліга, Vyscha Liha), which was controlled and operated by the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine (FHU) as part of the Ukrainian Hockey Championship, inaugurated in 1992. In obtaining the rights to the Championship, the FHU will maintain a supervisory role, and reserves the right to intervene in league matters.