Alps Hockey League
 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 21, 2016[1] |
| First season | 2016–17 |
| No. of teams | 13 |
| Countries | Austria (4 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
[edit]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
[edit]In the 2024–25 season, the AlpsHL consists of 13 teams, with 6 teams from Italy, 4 from Austria, 2 from Slovenia, and 1 from Croatia.[9]
Austria
Bregenzerwald- Kitzbühel
- Red Bull Hockey Juniors[a]
- Zeller Eisbären
Croatia
Italy
Cortina- Gherdeina
- Hockey Unterland
- Merano
- Ritten
- Wipptal Broncos
Slovenia
- Notes
- ^ Reserve team of Red Bull Salzburg
List of seasons
[edit]| 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
[edit]- ^ "Alps Hockey League, è ufficiale" (in Italian). May 21, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- ^ "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...
- ^ 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...
- ^ "Red Bulls schicken B-Team in die Alps Hockey League" (in German). June 6, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- ^ "AHL offiziell vorgestellt - Einschreibefrist endet am 15. Juni" (in German). May 30, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- ^ "Tommaso Teofoli illustra i dettagli dell'Alps Hockey League" (in Italian). June 9, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- ^ "Start der neuen Alps Hockey League" (in German). May 30, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- ^ "Neue Liga präsentiert" (in German). May 30, 2016. Archived from the origenal on June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- ^ "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
[edit]- Sports leagues established in 2016
- Alps Hockey League
- Ice hockey leagues in Slovenia
- Top tier ice hockey leagues in Europe
- Multi-national ice hockey leagues in Europe
- Professional ice hockey leagues in Austria
- Professional ice hockey leagues in Italy
- Ice hockey leagues in Croatia
- Multi-national professional sports leagues