Asiago is no longer part of the ICE Hockey League. © Social Media / HC Asiago

Commentary | An announced super-GAU

Asiago, one of the most decorated clubs in Italian ice hockey, will almost certainly be relegated to the third division next season. This is a foretold catastrophe, and those in charge have only themselves to blame.

19 April 2025

After Asiago won the Alps Hockey League in 2022, the world was no longer big enough for the club from the high plateau. They saw how their perennial AlpsHL rivals Pustertal and Ljubljana had successfully mastered promotion to the ICEHL – and now they wanted a piece of that big, tasty pie.

Unlike the other two clubs, the Stellati lacked the fundamentals to compete consistently in such a professional league. This ranged from limited financial resources compared to the rest of the league, to a small catchment area, which resulted in the lowest average attendance in the ICEHL, to the central problem: the stadium.

Exclusion without alternative

And so it was no surprise that the ICEHL revoked Asiago's license after three trial years, which, from a sporting perspective, were very poor for the team so accustomed to success. Although the venerable Hodegart was gradually modernized, it was still miles away from meeting the league's requirements. Yes, work was underway in the background to build a new arena, but nothing concrete came of it. Therefore, the exclusion was the only option.

Asiago's fans experienced a dismal day. © Social Media / HC Asiago

Under a new name and with a new board, Asiago made a second attempt in March. However, the arguments presented were not enough to gain the required two-thirds majority among the other clubs. The ICEHL project of the eight-time Italian champion and two-time AlpsHL winner ended abruptly. It was one that was doomed to failure from the start.

The club is now starting from scratch in the Italian Hockey League (IHL), with players from its own youth ranks, as experienced local players can be counted on one hand following the Italian policy of the past three years. It will be a long time before the Stellati are back where they belong. Meanwhile, Italian ice hockey is having to cope with its umpteenth setback – one year before the Olympic Games begin in Italy.