Release from 04.11.2025

Successful First Third of the Season: More Than 300,000 Fans in win2day ICE Hockey League Arenas

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Nearly one third of the 2025/26 win2day ICE Hockey League regular season is in the books. As players from the four A-Nations take a break until November 12 for the International Break, it’s the perfect moment to look back on what has been a highly successful season so far – both on and off the ice. More than 300,000 fans have already made their way to the league’s arenas in the opening months.

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In total, the win2day ICE Hockey League welcomed 302,409 spectators across the first 17 rounds – an average of 3,000 fans per game, marking a 5% increase compared to last season.

The Vienna Capitals currently lead the attendance charts, drawing an average of 4,342 fans per home game, closely followed by the Steinbach Black Wings Linz with 4,158 spectators per contest. A particularly positive development can be seen in Olimpija Ljubljana, whose arena occupancy has risen by more than 18% year-over-year.

Parity as a Key Attraction
Beyond the ongoing evolution of the league product, competitive balance remains one of the key drivers behind the growing fan interest. The final round before the International Break showcased this perfectly: both bottom-ranked teams, HC TIWAG Innsbruck and the Pioneers Vorarlberg, defeated top contenders. Innsbruck handed league leader Olimpija Ljubljana a loss, while the Pioneers earned a surprise victory over EC-KAC.

More Than a Quarter of All Games Go to Overtime or Shootout
Out of 102 games played so far, 27 have gone beyond regulation time, being decided in overtime or a shootout. The Moser Medical Graz99ers have been the busiest in extra sessions – they’ve already played eight games that extended past the 60-minute mark.

Young Stars Making Their Mark
Another highly encouraging trend is the strong performance of young players. 16-year-old Paul Sintschnig from EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV has made an impressive debut season with four goals and two assists. He became the youngest player in league history to record a multi-goal game. Named Young Star of the Month for September, Sintschnig was recently called up to the Austrian national team and will make his international debut at the Deutschland Cup.

Already established on their respective national teams are two 21-year-old forwards: Marcel Mahkovec (Olimpija Ljubljana / Slovenia) and Tommy Purdeller (HC Falkensteiner Pustertal / Italy). After 17 rounds, Mahkovec has collected six goals and nine assists, playing a key role in Ljubljana’s strong start. Purdeller – the Young Star of the Season 2024/25 – continues his excellent form with six goals and two assists. The two will face each other directly at the European Nations Cup in Poland.

The league’s fourth A-Nation, Hungary, is also producing promising talent. One of them is 22-year-old András Mihalik, who is enjoying a strong first ICE season with FTC-Telekom Budapest, contributing four goals and three assists so far.