Release from 06.07.2023

Alps Hockey League enters its eighth season

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The Alps Hockey League opens the new season on September 16. In the eighth season of the transnational league, 16 teams are participating, with HK RST Pellet Celje being a newcomer. For the first time in the league's history, all games will be streamed on a central platform.

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16 teams from Italy (7), Austria (7) and Slovenia (2) will contest the 2023/24 season in the Alps Hockey League starting on September 16. For the Slovenian association, HK RST Pellet Celje will participate in the international championship for the first time. The league newcomer starts its AHL debut season with an away game at reigning champion HDD SIJ Acroni Jesenice. For Hafro Cortina Hockey, a derby is also on the agenda for the opener, with the runners-up travelling to Fassa Falcons. In one of two inner-Austrian duels, EK Zeller Eisbären, who welcomed an average of around 1,700 spectators per game in the arena last season, welcome EHC Lustenau on the first matchday.

Top-6 directly to the playoffs
The regular season will be played in a first and second round with 30 games per team. Afterwards, the top-6 form the Master Round, they receive bonus points based on their Regular Season ranking (4-3-2-1-0-0) and play each other twice more to get the best possible starting position for the quarterfinal pick. The top 6 teams are already qualified for the playoffs after the regular season.

The other ten teams (7 - 16 after the regular season) will be divided into two Qualification Rounds and will also receive bonus points based on their regular season ranking. After a round robin, the top two teams from the qualification groups will play in a "best-of-three" series for the two remaining playoff spots.

Playoff opener on March 5 | All "best-of-7" series
The first playoff game day is dated for March 5, 2024. The champion of the eighth Alps Hockey League season will then be determined on April 20, 2024 at the latest. The playoff series will be played in a "best-of-seven" format starting with the quarterfinals.

All games live on one platform
The Alps Hockey League will continue its successful streaming initiative in the upcoming season. It will continue to show all games in pay-per-view live streams. What is new is that, for the first time in the league's history, all matches will be available on the central platform www.valcome.tv.

The most important dates of the 2023/24 season:

  • Sat, 16.09.2023: Start of regular season
  • Sat, 06.01.2024: last round of regular season
  • Thu, 18.01.2024: Start intermediate round
  • Sat, 24.02.2024: last matchday intermediate round
  • Tue, 27.02.2024: start of pre-playoffs ("best-of-3")
  • Sat, 02.03.2024: last match Pre-Playoffs
  • Tue, 05.03.2024: start quarterfinals ("best-of-7")
  • Thu, 21.03.2024: start semifinals ("best-of-7")
  • Sat, 06.04.2024: Start finals ("best-of-7")
  • Sat, 20.04.2024: last possible final match

Marcello Cobelli, AHL Officer of the Italian Ice Hockey Federation and Chairman of the Board of Governors: "With a very exciting last season we were able to continue the success story of the Alps Hockey League. We have the perfect mix of young hungry players and experienced professionals. The preparations for the eighth season are in full swing and it is very good for the league that with Celje now again a second team from Slovenia is participating in the championship. We are looking forward to high-class matches and an exciting championship. It was also important for us to take streaming to the next level and further improve the offer for our fans with a central platform."

Dr. Nicolas Stockhammer, AHL Officer of the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation. "The Alps Hockey League has come back to its old strengths in the last season, which for the first time could be carried out almost entirely without Covid restrictions. Fast-paced and high-class games, a predominantly great spectator turnout and ultimately an exciting championship right to the end have characterized the past season. Henrik Neubauer, a young forward, was also selected for the 2023 World Championship, proving that the AHL is ideally suited to developing young players and bringing them up to the top level. In cooperation with our two partner associations from Italy and Slovenia, a professional league organization and the efforts of all clubs, which should not be underestimated, we succeeded in ensuring a league operation that reflects a high international standard. The AHL has remained a successful product of professional ice hockey, despite major challenges such as the ongoing adverse economic situation caused by rising energy costs and fuel prices. Thanks to the cross-border reach, we expect another attractive championship, high-class and exciting games and a lot of great ice hockey in the upcoming season."

Matjaz Rakovez, AHL representative of the Slovenian Ice Hockey Federation: "We are happy that Slovenia can now provide a second team besides the reigning champion Jesenice. Celje's entry into the Alps Hockey League is very important for Slovenian ice hockey. The derby on the first matchday will be the start of a great season. The league is well organized and the level is very high. The game mode promises a lot of excitement again, as all teams still have a chance to reach the playoffs after the regular season."

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