Alps Hockey League

International ice hockey league in Central Europe

Alps Hockey League

Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	May 21, 2016^[1]
First season	2016–17
No. of teams	16
Countries	Austria (7 teams) Italy (7 teams) Slovenia (2 teams)
Continent	Europe
Most recent champion(s)	Jesenice (1st title) (2022–23)
Most titles	Asiago Olimpija (both 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. The league is made up of teams from Austria, Italy and Slovenia.^[2] The league was established as a result of a merger between Serie A and the Inter-National League.

Formation

The Alps Hockey League was founded in spring 2016, and is a joint venture between the Austrian Ice Hockey Association, the Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio, 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.^[3] In addition, the league has also stated that it is open to teams from other nations, including the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia.^[4]

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.^[5] As a result of this, the league aims to focus on the development of young players from the participating countries.^[6]

Teams

In the 2023–24 season, the AlpsHL will consist of 16 teams, with 7 teams from Austria, 7 from Italy, and 2 from Slovenia.^[7]

Bregenzerwald

KAC Future Team

Kitzbühel

Lustenau

Red Bull Salzburg

Steinbach Steel Wings Linz

Zeller Eisbären

Cortina

Fassa

Gherdëina

Unterland Cavaliers

Merano

Ritten

Wipptal

Celje

Jesenice

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Location of the 2023–24 teams

Austria

Bregenzerwald
Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel
Die Zeller Eisbären
EC KAC Future Team^[a]
Lustenau
Red Bull Hockey Juniors^[b]
Steinbach Steel Wings Linz^[c]

Italy

Slovenia

Notes

^ Reserve team of KAC
^ Reserve team of Red Bull Salzburg
^ 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

References

^ "Alps Hockey League, è ufficiale" (in Italian). May 21, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
^ "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 original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
^ "Alps Hockey League enters its eighth season". Alps Hockey League. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.