Pustertal, Ljubljana & Znojmo: The new ICE clubs in detail

14 teams and six countries from Italy to Slovakia: The International Central European Hockey League (ICE for short) lives up to its name. From the 2021/2022 season, HC Pustertal, a second South Tyrolean team will also play in the ICE, which is held under the Austrian flag.

So it's no wonder that the Austrian clubs are most prominently represented. With the exception of Lower Austria and Burgenland, all federal states in the Alpine republic have one association - Carinthia and Vorarlberg even have two. South Tyrol will also be represented by two teams from autumn, making Italy the only foreign nation to have more than one representative. In addition to HC Pustertal, Znojmo and Ljubljana were also added. Feldkirch also applied, but Vorarlberg came away empty-handed. HK Olympia The club from the Slovenian capital Ljubljana was the preferred candidate of the ICE League board. The advantages are obvious: a club in the capital, a lot of tradition, a new country in the league and a club with ambitions. The ambitions have already been the Slovenians' downfall. In 2017, Olimpija took over Ljubljana, had to file for bankruptcy and left the then EBEL. The successor club was founded from the youth department and is officially called just HK Olimpija - without the name of the city.

The game is played in Ljubljana (the city has 280.000 inhabitants and is therefore the largest in Slovenia) in the Hala Tivoli, which can accommodate around 5000 spectators when fully occupied. The most influential man at Olimpija is President Miha Butara, who also holds an important position at the Slovenian state railway. In recent years, the capital city team has been active in the AlpsHL, securing the championship title in 2019. HC Orli Znojmo After a short interlude in the 3rd league in the Czech Republic (the season was canceled after just five games), Znojmo is back in the ICE. A year ago the South Moravians announced their farewell, now the club is returning. Unlike Ljubljana and Pustertal, the Czechs do not have to shell out the full 150.000 euros that new arrivals on the ICE usually have to pay. Bolzano vs Znojmo in 2014: Back then the league was still called EBEL. © Max Pattis

Znojmo has good structures; the town of 33.000 inhabitants is located just behind the Austrian border. In the past, the club has repeatedly attracted attention, sometimes positively (playoff participation, good attendance figures) and sometimes negatively (the president is considered a hothead and is feared by referees). The fact is: Znojmo is almost part of the league's inventory. The club joined the EBEL in 2011, and now the Zimni Stadium will also host ICE games. HC Pustertal The Wolves are the only true newcomer in the league. Bruneck (around 18.000 inhabitants) is also the smallest of all ICE locations. HC Pustertal will play its home games in one of the most modern, albeit rather small, stadiums. Geographically, the Carinthian clubs will be particularly happy, as Bruneck is quite close to Villach and Klagenfurt. The big plus point for the South Tyrolean fans: the ICE derby with HC Bozen.

What is a thorn in the side of the Austrian clubs (strangely, the issue only really came up this year) is the dual citizenship advantage of the clubs from Italy. This year, HC Bozen has a whole series of Italos in the squad who only score a few points through their one-two passes. It is quite possible that the league will put an end to the goings-on and introduce a “dual citizenship restriction”. Either way: HC Pustertal is completely new territory for the traditional ICE clubs. Vienna, Salzburg and Linz have so far only sent secondary representatives to Bruneck. That will change from autumn.

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
View all

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Pustertal, Ljubljana & Znojmo: The new ICE clubs in detail

It has been clear since Wednesday that the ICE Hockey League will be increased from eleven to 14 clubs. The returnees Orli Znojmo and Olimpija Ljubljana, as well as HC Pustertal, hit the jackpot. SportNews introduces the three clubs in more detail.

Suggestions

Comments (0)