Alps Hockey League

Alps Hockey League

Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	May 21, 2016 [1]
First season	2016–17
No. of teams	14
Countries	Austria (5 teams) Croatia (1 team) Italy (6 teams) Slovenia (2 teams)
Continent	Europe
Most recent champion(s)	Ritten (2nd title) (2023–24)
Most titles	Asiago Olimpija Ritten (all 2 titles)
Related competitions	Austrian Hockey League Inter-National League Serie A
Official website	Official website

The Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in Central Europe. ^{[2] [3]} The league is made up of teams from Austria, Croatia, Italy and Slovenia. ^[4] It was established in 2016 as a result of a merger between Serie A and the Inter-National League.

Formation

The Alps Hockey League was founded in spring 2016 as a joint venture between the Austrian Ice Hockey Association, the Italian Ice Sports Federation, and the Ice Hockey Federation of Slovenia. The three national governing bodies have stated that they are keen to ensure that the league is both of a high standard, and financially viable in the long term. ^[5] In addition, the league has also stated that it is open to teams from other nations, including the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia. ^[6]

Regarding players, each team can sign a maximum four foreign-born players. The AlpsHL operates on a points-based system, with each team having 36 points available, of which a maximum of 16 can be spent on foreign players. ^[7] As a result of this, the league aims to focus on the development of young players from the participating countries. ^[8]

Teams

In the 2024–25 season, the AlpsHL will consist of 14 teams, with 6 teams from Italy, 5 from Austria, 2 from Slovenia, and 1 from Croatia. ^[9]

Bregenzerwald

Kitzbühel

Red Bull

Steel Wings

Eisbären

Cortina

Ghe.

Unterland

Mer.

Rit.

Wipp.

Celje

Jesenice

Sisak

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Location of the 2024–25 teams

Austria

• Bregenzerwald
• Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel
• Die Zeller Eisbären
• Red Bull Hockey Juniors ^{[lower-alpha 1]}
• Steinbach Steel Wings Linz ^{[lower-alpha 2]}

Croatia

• Sisak

Italy

• Cortina Hafro
• Gherdeina valgardena.it
• Hockey Unterland Cavaliers
• Meran/o Pircher
• Rittner Buam SkyAlps
• Wipptal Broncos Weihenstephan

Slovenia

• RST-Pellet Celje
• SIJ Acroni Jesenice

Notes

1. Reserve team of Red Bull Salzburg
2. Reserve team of Steinbach Black Wings Linz

List of seasons

Season	Champions	Runners-up	Series
2016–17	Ritten	Asiago	4–1
2017–18	Asiago	Ritten	4–3
2018–19	Olimpija	Pustertal Wölfe	4–3
2019–20	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21	Olimpija	Asiago	3–0
2021–22	Asiago	Jesenice	3–2
2022–23	Jesenice	Cortina	4–2
2023–24	Ritten	Cortina	4–0

References

1. "Alps Hockey League, è ufficiale" (in Italian). May 21, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
2. "Jesenice loses to Italy's Asiago in Alps Hockey League finals". sta.si (in Slovenian). Slovenian Press Agency. April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2024. The Alps Hockey League is the professional ice hockey league made up of teams from Austria, Italy and Slovenia...
3. Landvogt, Chapin (April 28, 2021). "Olimpija wins AlpsHL again". IIHF. Retrieved April 27, 2024. ...the AlpsHL seems to be exactly the right pro league for the youngsters, who...
4. "Red Bulls schicken B-Team in die Alps Hockey League" (in German). June 6, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
5. "AHL offiziell vorgestellt - Einschreibefrist endet am 15. Juni" (in German). May 30, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
6. "Tommaso Teofoli illustra i dettagli dell'Alps Hockey League" (in Italian). June 9, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
7. "Start der neuen Alps Hockey League" (in German). May 30, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
8. "Neue Liga präsentiert" (in German). May 30, 2016. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
9. "V naslednji sezoni bo tekmovalo 14 klubov, novinec je hrvaški prvak Sisak" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.

External links

• Official website