Release from 18.09.2024

Online press conference kicked off 9th Alps Hockey League season

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The ninth season of the Alps Hockey League kicked off with an online press conference on Wednesday. Thirteen teams from four different nations will start the new season this weekend. At the press conference, league newcomer KHL Sisak were officially welcomed once again. And numerous panel guests and clubs attended to answer questions.

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The new Alps Hockey League season kicks off with five games on Saturday, September 21. One game of the first round will also take place on Sunday. Only league newcomer KHL Sisak is free from play on the first weekend, as the Croatians are playing in the Continental Cup. Head coach Josh Siembida was present for Sisak at the online press conference. This is the Candian's first time as head coach at a club, and Sisak is also his first club in Europe. The 41-year-old is already looking forward to the Alps Hockey League adventure: “There will be challenges that are new for the players and me. That's something we're all looking forward to. The Alps Hockey League is a great opportunity for all of us.”

The Rittner Buam SkyAlps start the new season as defending champions. Simon Kostner was present at the press conference on behalf of the South Tyroleans. In the interview, the captain looked back on last season and spoke about the special team chemistry: “Last year was special. A lot of things went our way, even if we were a bit lucky sometimes. But the group worked really well together and is simply special. We basically grew up together and you can see that on the ice.”

Marcello Cobelli: “The league will continue”
Chairman Marcello Cobelli was present at the press conference on behalf of the Board of Governors (BOG). The Italian is confident about the new season and the future of the league, even though teams have left the league in the offseason: “Unfortunately, teams have left the league, and that is certainly not good. We will meet with the teams in a few weeks to understand what they need and what their expectations are and then we hope to work with the teams to find good solutions for the future, because the league will continue. Cobelli is also very pleased about the expansion to Croatia: “I hope that Sisak will bring a fresh wind to the league. We are happy that we have found a new team with Sisak and we are happy that we have been able to expand to another nation.”

Nicolas Stockhammer: “We want to motivate new Austrian teams to enter the league”
Austria is represented by four teams in the new season. With EK Die Zeller Eisbären, Die Adler Stadtwerke Kitzbühel and EC Bregenzerwald, three Austrian teams had the highest average attendance of all AHL teams last season. The popularity of the fans is therefore good and the association is still convinced of the Alps Hockey League, as BOG member Nicolas Stockhammer from the Austrian Ice Hockey Association confirmed: “We as an association regret the withdrawals of Lustenau, Klagenfurt and Linz. There were individual reasons for the clubs to leave the league. But we are optimistic that teams that have left the league will return when they realize that the alternatives are not as good as the Alps Hockey League product. We also want to motivate new Austrian teams to enter the league, and we are currently working on that.”

Dejan Kontrec: “It's important that the league offers young players good development”
Slovenia starts the season for the second time with SIJ Acroni Jesenice and HK RST Pellet Celje. Things didn't go well for the clubs in sporting terms, especially for Jesenice, the 2023 AHL champions, but for BOG member Dejan Kontrec of the Slovenian Hockey Federation, the development of young players is the most important: “It's important for our association that many young players have the chance to play in this league and that the league offers them good development. But of course every team wants to win. Jesenice had a great team, but unfortunately they couldn't defend the title. But I hope that they will be at the top again this season.”

Watch all games live on valcome.tv
In the 2024/25 Alps Hockey League season, all games will once again be shown live on valcome.tv. Fans will once again have two options for watching the games on the streaming platform: either with a single ticket or by subscribing to a “Follow your Team” pass.

With the “Follow your Team” pass, it is possible to watch all home and away games of a team in the Regular Season, including the Master or Qualification Round. The subscription fee is €99. The single ticket costs €7.50 per game.

All details can be found directly on the streaming platform: valcome.tv.

Here you can re-watch the online press conference: