Skellefteå AIK were founded in 1921 but only started competing in the local league, Skellefteserien, in 1943. Twelve years later, they qualified for Sweden's top tier in ice hockey, where they remained for a substantial period.

In 1975, the Swedish Elite League was renamed Elitserien and the club became champions three years later. In the 90s, the club played in the second tier, Allsvenskan, but made it back to the top tier in 2006/07 and have played there since.

Despite winning the Swedish championship only four times in their history (1978, 2013, 2014 and 2024), they have established themselves as a strong contender for the national title each season by reaching the finals on seven occasions between 2010 and 2018.

Semi-Finalists of the inaugural 2014/15 Champions Hockey League season, Skellefteå's European record for long hadn’t followed their domestic success of recent years until they made the CHL Final in 2023/24, losing to Swiss side Genève-Servette.

They have, however, qualified for the Playoffs each season they have played on the pan-European stage.