From 1944 to 1975, Division I was the highest league in the Swedish ice hockey system, but with the creation of Elitserien (now the SHL) in 1975, it became the second tier.

[1] Division 1 was founded in 1944, replacing Svenska Serien as the top flight of Swedish ice hockey.

From the 1955–56 season, the best-of-three series was replaced with a double round-robin final round with the top two teams from each group.

Division 1 was a much broader league as the second tier, consisting of 49 teams in its inaugural season, eventually being reduced to ca.

During this entire period, the league was divided into four geographical groups, and operated a system of promotion and relegation with Elitserien and Division 2.

For the 1999–2000 season, Allsvenskan was spun off into a new second-tier league, resulting in Division 1 becoming the third tier of Swedish hockey.

Division 1's relegation to third-tier status resulted in a massive expansion in the number of teams.