Österreichische Eishockey Liga begins new season
The ÖEL gets its new season under way on Saturday (3 October). Defending champions EHC Lustenau host WSG Swarovski Wattens - Penguins in the opening game, while league newcomers ASKÖ Grizzlies Linz begin their maiden season against Wiener Eislauf-Verein.
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The Österreichische Eishockey Liga begins its new season on Saturday (3 October 2026). 12 teams, divided into the East and West divisions, will battle for the championship title.
With the addition of ASKÖ Grizzlies Linz, the field expands to 12 teams, with the East Division now featuring six teams. The Upper Austrians, who most recently secured the title in the 1st OÖ Landesliga twice in succession, begin their maiden season at home against Wiener Eislauf-Verein.
The other first-round fixtures in the East Division are ATSE Graz - Eishockey against UEHV CAM4DENT Sharks Gmunden and HDK Maribor against KSV Kängurus.
Champions Lustenau begin with home game
In the West Division, EHC Lustenau begin their title defence in front of their home crowd against WSG Swarovski Wattens - Penguins. The Vorarlberg side prevailed 2:1 against KSV Kängurus in a thrilling final series in March to win the championship title for the first time. More than 7.200 spectators watched the three final games.
The first round in the West is completed by HC Kufstein against SC Samina Hohenems and Dornbirner Eishockey Club against EHC Kundl.
The regular season runs until the end of January 2027. Each division will play a double round robin, meaning each team plays 20 games. The top four teams in each division qualify for the interregional play-offs, which begin with the quarter-finals on 6 February 2027.
The play-off format
In the play-off pick, the division winners may choose their quarter-final opponents from the third- or fourth-placed teams in the other division, while the remaining pairings are determined by the other qualified teams.
The quarter-finals are played over two games in the CHL format, with the results of both fixtures added together to form an aggregate score.
The semi-finals and final are each decided in a best-of-three format. In the semi-finals, the team that finished higher in the regular season has home advantage in the first game and, if necessary, the third game. The Austrian champion of the Österreichische Eishockey Liga 2026/27 will be the team that reaches two wins first in the final.
