ÖEHV state­ment on the renaming of the ÖEL

At the ÖEL meeting on 6 April 2024 in Salzburg, which was attended, among others, by ÖEHV President Klaus Hartmann, the question of renaming the league "Bundesliga" was raised. The ÖEHV agreed to examine and review this in detail and quickly reached the following conclusion:

Renaming the ÖEL "Bundesliga" is not possible, as the ÖEL is the third-highest level of competition after the win2day ICE Hockey League and the ALPS Hockey League. The only possible and correct designation in the event of a renaming would be "3rd Bundesliga".

The win2day ICE Hockey League, the ALPS Hockey League (AHL) and the ÖEL are all autonomous leagues, including in sporting terms. The ÖEHV's aim is for these three leagues to interlink as effectively as possible, particularly with regard to the development of domestic players.

In particular, the AHL, as a cross-border co-operation league, fulfils this objective of developing young domestic talents into future ICE and national team players to a high degree and deserves special mention in this regard.

The ÖEL is to be further developed and strengthened as a link between the regional leagues and the AHL.

Since its inaugural 2021/2022 season, the ÖEL has quickly established itself as an independent brand and product within the Austrian ice hockey scene. The ÖEHV currently sees no reason to subject the ÖEL to a rebranding with regard to its name.

Signed

Dr Klaus Hartmann, ÖEHV President
Dr Nicolas Stockhammer, ÖEHV Vice-President
Günther Ropatsch, ÖEHV Vice-President