12 or 14 ICE teams? “A lot depends on Feldkirch”

In the second part of the big interview with S+, Knoll explains how many teams the championship could consist of in the coming season, when the new season starts and what the new foreign regulations will look like.

When will the ICEHL general meeting take place and what are the key points there? “The ICEHL general meeting will take place on June 2nd in Salzburg. This includes, among other things, the new squad regulations, the cooperation agreement between the Austrian ice hockey association ÖEHV and the ICEHL, the marketing of rights, the organization of the junior leagues, refereeing, financial aspects, media rights, the participating teams, the general schedule and the game mode.

Keyword squad rules: The points rule has caused heated discussions over the last 14 years. Now she is history. What will the new immigration regulations look like? “The foreigner regulation still needs to be definitively approved, but as it currently stands, each club is allowed to field a maximum of 10 foreigners and 10 local players as well as 2 local U24 players per game. As far as player substitutions are concerned, there is a proposal to do it the same way as in Switzerland. Each club is allowed to register a maximum of 26 players over the course of the season. That would correspond to 4 changes. It also means that every club can have surplus foreigners in the squad, but can only use 10 of them.”

Keyword general schedule: When does the coming season begin and when does it end? “The start and the end still have to be precisely defined. However, there are many indications that the season will start on Friday, September 16th and the last possible final game will be played on April 10th, 2023. The season is supposed to end 2 weeks before the start of the World Cup in the I. Division Group A. This starts next year on April 24th.”

The Dornbirn Bulldogs and Orli Znojmo are withdrawing. © CDM/Blende47

Keyword number of participants: How many participants will tackle the ICEHL in the fall after 13 teams recently fought for the title? "That's a good question. The wish of the league leaders is to always have an even number of participants. That means there will be either 12 or 14 teams.”

With Dornbirn and most recently Znojmo, 2 clubs have been eliminated in the last few weeks, which is why only 11 teams remain. Who could join the league? “The Bratislava Capitals are about to return to the league. Only a few details remain to be clarified. This would give us 12 participants. Whether there will be 14 participants in the end depends primarily on Feldkirch. An auditing company is currently examining the papers and guarantees deposited by the Vorarlberg association. If the economic situation is right, then I think there will also be a Vorarlberg team in the ICEHL next season. Finally, Feldkirch carried out some necessary renovation work in the stadium.”

What were the reasons for Znojmo's withdrawal? “Znojmo president Pavel Ohera sent a letter to the league on Wednesday afternoon telling us that the financial risk was too great. The city of Znojmo and some sponsors did not make the commitments, which is why Ohera allegedly had to pump 650.000 euros from his own pocket into the club. I hoped for Znojmo until the end. It has always been a good partner in recent years. In addition, with the Czech Republic we would have had a 6th nation in the league.”

Asiago has made a request to participate in the multinational league. Does the ICEHL contract a third club from Italy alongside HCB Südtirol and HC Pustertal? “I think so, although the potential local players would then have to be split between three clubs. Asiago has very good sports management; Renato Tessari has excellent contacts in North America and has recently brought in interesting players. The club’s financial situation is also good. In the hinterland of Vicenza there are large commercial companies and therefore numerous potential sponsors. In addition to the stadium, which is to be renovated, the difficulty of getting there is also a disadvantage.”

In addition to Asiago, Jesenice also applied for the ICEHL. Should Feldkirch be accepted, who would have the better chance of being the 14th team in the ICEHL next season between the two AlspHL finalists? “I see slight advantages for Jesenice. The stadium was recently modernized and offers space for almost 5000 spectators. In addition, Jesenice would be particularly interesting in terms of location for the Carinthian clubs KAC and VSV.”

ICE Regular Season ICE	SP	TV	P
1. Klagenfurt	47	183:101	102
2. Fehervar	46	146:126	89
3. Salzburg	46	142:107	87
4. HCB South Tyrol	46	137:125	76
5. Linz	46	146:116	75
6. Villach	46	155:136	74
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12 or 14 ICE teams? “A lot depends on Feldkirch”

Dieter Knoll celebrates his 70th birthday on Friday. Congratulations! He is not only managing director and sports director of HCB Südtirol Alperia, but also vice president of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). That's why he has more insight into the plans of the league leaders than almost anyone else.

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