The Alps Hockey League ( AHL , also AlpsHL ) is a Central European ice hockey league that began operations in the 2016/17 season. Clubs from Austria - where the league is based -, Italy and Slovenia take part. The League was created from the merger of the Austrian-Slovenian Inter-National League (INL) and the Italian Serie A . It is organized by the operators of the Erste Bank Ice Hockey League (EBEL) with the approval of the national ice hockey associations.
For the league, the associations involved set a minimum term of three years. In September 2018, the contract was prematurely extended by six years until 2025.
The league is run by a Board of Governors . This is chaired by Peter Schramm, Vice President of the ÖEHV; the other members are Alexander Gruber (Austria), Tommaso Teofoli (Italy) and Dean Kontrec (Slovenia).
Regulations
A points system similar to the EBEL was introduced. Each Italian club can sign a maximum of four transfer card players (non-local players).
Attendees
Up to ten clubs each from Austria and Italy and up to five participants from Slovenia can take part.
The registration period for the first season ended on June 15, 2016. 16 clubs had registered for the first season. Of the previous eight participants in Serie A, seven had registered for the AHL, only HC Valpellice not. Of the six Austrian participants of the INL, five registered, only KSV Eishockey from Kapfenberg did not. Of the three Slovenian INL clubs, only HDD Jesenice reported . Then there were the second teams from the EBEL clubs from Salzburg and Klagenfurt. Similarly, the reported HC Neumarkt , who played in Italy's Serie B until then. Its participation was confirmed by the Italian association on June 18th.
HK Olimpija Ljubljana was added to the league for the 2017/18 season . HC Neumarkt withdrew at the end of May 2018. In the 2018/19 season Hockey Milano Rossoblu played in the league, but withdrew to the IHL Division I after one season. For the 2019/20 season, the Steel Wings Linz and Vienna Capitals Silver, the second teams of the EBEL clubs from Linz and Vienna, were added. In 2020 EK Zell am See and Vienna Capitals Silver withdrew from the league.
Ljubljana
Bregenzerwald
Lustenau
Zell am See
Feldkirch
Kitzbühel
Jesenice
Salzburg
Klagenfurt
Val Pusteria
Rides
Asiago
Sterzing
Fassa
Cortina
Val Gardena
Milan
Neumarkt
Vienna
Linz
Map of the AlpsHL locations. Red: club for the 2020/21 season, blue: former club
The following table shows the balance of all main rounds since the 2016/17 season.
Status: after the basic round of the 2019/20 season Abbreviations: SP = games, S = wins, N = defeats, U = draws, SNV = wins in overtime or overtime, NNV = defeats in overtime or overtime, T = goals scored, GT = Goals conceded, TD = goal difference, PKT% = percentage of the total possible points scored
Austria , Italy , Slovenia
