Desjardins Cup

The Desjardins Cup is Kelssek's national ice hockey championship. It is administered by a board of trustees, and is both separate from and pre-dates the Kelssek Hockey Association and the Kelssek Hockey League. Originally a tournament contested between the champions of regional leagues, in the current era the only way to qualify is through the Premiership division of the KHL. The winner of the Desjardins Cup also qualifies to represent Kelssek in the Hockey Champions League.

The Desjardins Cup final series is designated as a Broadcast of National Importance which must be broadcasted on free-to-air television.

Qualification

The teams finishing in the top six of the KHL Premiership's two regional conferences receive a bye to the second round, and are seeded from 1 to 12. The eight remaining teams from either region with the best records (as determined by the KHL's standings criteria) are seeded 13 to 20 and play in the first round.

The first round is a best-of-five series, and from the second round onwards, ties are played as a best-of-seven series. The team with the higher seed plays the first two matches at home and the other team plays match 3 and 4 at home. The venue then alternates as necessary; the team with the higher seed always plays the decisive match five or match seven at home.