No fewer than four age groups open the 2025/2026 youth season this weekend

From an Austrian perspective, the clash between the two U17 teams of EC Red Bull Salzburg and Eishockey Akademie Oberösterreich on Friday, 5 September, at 17:00 officially opens the 2025/2026 youth season. The very first face-off takes place on Friday at 13:15 in the Hungarian U18 International League, where Ujpesti Jegkorong Akademia and Budapest Jegkorong Akademia take to the ice. A total of 36 games in the U20 International League, U18 International League, U17 and U15 are on the schedule this weekend. The U13 age group enters the championship on 13 and 14 September, while the U11 gets under way on 20 September. All games from the U20 International League, U18 International League, U17, U15 and U13 will be streamed live on RED+!

04 September 20252 min read

Youth hockey is ready to go. EC Red Bull Salzburg were crowned champions of both the U20 and U18 International Leagues last season. In the highest age group, the Bulls' youth team begins the new season away to Ujpesti Jegkorong Akademia on Saturday, while in the U18 they first face runners-up Nordic Hockey Academy before taking on EC KAC a day later.

Split into two divisions each, 18 teams will compete in the U20 International League and twelve teams in the U18 International League. Compared to last year, the U20 International League field has been expanded to include the two Slovenian teams HD-mladi-Jesenice and Hiti Academy Bled Hawks, as well as the Vienna Capitals. There have also been changes in the U18 International League: Alps Ice Academy and EC iDM VSV have taken the places of Okanagan Hockey Academy and Hiti Akademy Bled Hawks. This means that the number of teams has remained unchanged from the previous season.

In the U15, champions VSV open away to Steel Wings Linz on Saturday, while the U13 begins the new season a week later. In the U11, Phase 1 opens on 20 September.

Format

U20 International League: Phase 1 (in 2 divisions) | Play Up/Down | Phase 2 (in 2 divisions) | Pre-Playoff | Playoffs & placement games
U18 International League: Phase 1 (in 2 divisions) | Play Up/Down | Phase 2 (in 2 divisions) | Playoffs & placement games
ÖEHV U17 Championship: Regular season | Playoffs & placement games
ÖEHV U15 Championship: Regular season | Playoffs & placement games
ÖEHV U13 Championship: Phase 1 (preliminary round) | Phase 2 (in 2 divisions) | Playoffs & placement games
ÖEHV U11 Championship: 3 phases, each with 4 tournament days

More detailed descriptions can be found in DÖNAM 2025/26 - Direct download link

Champions of the 2024/2025 season

U20 International League: EC Red Bull Salzburg
U18 International League: EC Red Bull Salzburg
U17: EC iDM VSV
U15: EC iDM VSV
U13: EC-KAC
U11: EC-KAC "Rot"

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