HCP Junior celebrated their championship title in the IHL 1st Division at the end of March. © Iwan Foppa

One South Tyrolean ice hockey club replaces the other.

HCP Junior won their first IHL 1st Division championship this year. The junior team of HC Falkensteiner Pustertal will now play in a new league.

June 03, 2026

From: dl

HCP Junior will play in the Italian Hockey League next season. This means that, in addition to SV Kaltern, HC Eppan, and 3 Zinnen Dolomites, there will again be four South Tyrolean teams competing in the league next season. The Puster Valley team will therefore be... the spot was taken over by the Brixen Falcons, who had announced their withdrawal almost a month ago.

The IHL will consist of twelve teams in the 2026/27 season. The remaining clubs, including Aosta, Pergine, Varese, Alleghe, Feltre, Fiemme, Fassa, and Valpellice, will therefore remain in the league.

The HCP junior will be celebrating in a higher league next season. © Iwan Foppa

“Brixen’s withdrawal came as a complete surprise. It’s a club that has operated responsibly for years, so we naturally regret this decision. However, with HCP Junior as their successor, the league will maintain an even number of teams and can avoid bye weeks. The IHL has built up a stable fan base and strong interest in recent years. That’s very important,” said FISG board member Marcello Cobelli.

Old format in the IHL Series A

As in previous years, the IHL Serie A will be linked to the Alps Hockey League in its first phase. The seven teams competing for the 2026/27 Italian championship will play there. These include reigning Italian champions Asiago, runners-up Rittner Buam, Cortina, the Wipptal Broncos, the Unterland Cavaliers, HC Meran, and AlpsHL champions HC Gröden.

“We are delighted that all the teams that participated twelve months ago have renewed their commitment – ​​including Merano, which had considered withdrawing at one point. After the Final Four in Milan, we will return this year to the format with semi-final and final series in a best-of-three format. The exact dates are not yet fixed,” explained Cobelli.