ÖEHV brings all youth leagues back in-house

Preparations for the 2022/2023 ice hockey season are in full swing. In the youth sector, ÖEHV is pooling all resources, promoting the Austrian pathway and, with immediate effect, once again acting as organiser of all youth leagues.

The age groups are being reorganised, moving from even to odd age categories. The sole exception is U20, which will in future be open to three age groups. The Austrian youth championships for the 2022/2023 season will be held in the following age categories: U11, U13, U15, U17 and U20. The season starts in mid-September with Phase 1 of the regular season.

Enhancing the status of the "Austrian Champion" title

Under the regulations that are no longer valid, a league champion was determined in each of the U18 and U20 categories, for which the win2day ICE Hockey League had been responsible in the past. This team was not automatically Austrian Champion, as this depended on additional factors such as the number of domestic players in the squad. As a result, the team that actually finished third could, for example, be Austrian Champion.

With all age groups returning to its remit, ÖEHV is responsible for the competition regulations. Under the now standardised regulations, only the Austrian Champion title will be contested from the 2022/2023 season, thereby also enhancing the status of the highest title in each respective age group – affecting U11, U13, U15, U17 and U20.

In addition to the Austrian championships, ÖEHV is creating an additional competition with the U18 International League. The federation will act as organiser and continue the close cooperation in the youth sector between the win2day ICE Hockey League and the Hungarian federation. In the U18 International League, in which teams from Austria and Hungary will participate this year, only a league champion will be determined.

All fixtures for the Austrian ÖEHV youth championships are available in the GameCenter, which is continuously updated.