U15 opens youth season

All fixtures are available via the ÖEHV Gamecenter - DIRECT LINK to the Gamecenter

The youth teams are ready to get under way. The Capitals and Steel Wings get things started in the U15, before the U20 International League begins its championship season at the weekend. More than half of the 15 teams in the cross-border league are from Austria: HC TIWAG Innsbruck - Die Haie, EC Red Bull Salzburg, EV spusu Vienna Capitals, Icehawks Hockey Club, Eishockey Akademie Oberösterreich, Eishockey Akademie Steiermark, Okanagan Hockey Academy, EC IDM VSV and Nordic Hockey Academy.

The U17, the remaining U15 teams and the U18 International League will then also get under way on 9 September. The U13 championship starts one week later, on 16 September, while the first round of Phase 1 in the U11 is scheduled for 26 September.

Format

The U20 International League plays a single cross-border home-and-away round in Phase 1. After Phase 1 has been completed, the teams in places 1-8 play a one-and-a-half (1,5) cross-border home-and-away round in Division 1. The teams in places 9-15 play a one-and-a-half (1,5) cross-border home-and-away round in Division 2. The top 2 teams from Division 2 then face the two bottom-placed teams from Division 1 in the pre-play-offs, played in CHL format, for a quarter-final berth. The top 3 teams then pick their quarter-final opponents. The first play-off stage is played in a "Best of three" format, with the semi-finals and final played in a "Best of five" format.

The U18 International League plays the regular season from September 2023 to February 2024. This consists of a double cross-border home-and-away round. The top 3 teams can choose their opponents from teams in places 5 - 8 in the play-off pick. The play-offs begin with the quarter-finals in a "Best of three" format, with the semi-finals and final played in a "Best of five" format.

In the U17 a one-and-a-half nationwide home-and-away round is played in each division in Phase 1. After Phase 1 has been completed, the teams in places 1-5 qualify directly for the play-offs and play a placement round in a double home-and-away format. After Phase 1 has been completed, the teams in places 6-10 play a qualifying round in a double home-and-away format for the remaining three play-off places. The quarter-final match-ups are then determined by the standings: 1st vs. 8th, 2nd vs. 7th, 3rd vs. 6th, 4th vs. 5th. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are played in a "Best of three" format, with the final played in a "Best of five" format.

U15 & U13: Phase 1, split into Divisions 1 and 2, is played as a one-and-a-half home-and-away round. Two games are played in the „CHL format“ in the Play Up/Down, with the 5th-placed team from Division 1 facing the 2nd-placed team from Division 2, and the 6th-placed team from Division 1 facing the 1st-placed team from Division 2. Teams in places 1 - 6 qualify directly for the play-offs and play a placement round in a one-and-a-half (1,5) nationwide home-and-away format. After Phase 1 has been completed, the teams in places 7-11 play a qualifying round in a one-and-a-half (1,5) nationwide home-and-away format for the remaining two play-off places. The quarter-final match-ups are then determined by the standings: 1st vs. 8th, 2nd vs. 7th, 3rd vs. 6th, 4th vs. 5th. In the U15, the quarter-finals and semi-finals are played in a "Best of three" format, with the final played in a "Best of five" format. In the U13, all play-off stages are played in a "Best of three" format.

U11: The U11 championship in the 2023/24 season is played in a small-rink format. The championship is divided into three phases. In Phase 1 (September to October), the focus is on playing. Phase 2 (November to January) determines the standings for the final tournaments in Phase 3.

DOWNLOAD competition regulations for the Austrian youth ice hockey championships 2023/2024

Champions' board for the 2022/2023 season

U20: EC Red Bull Salzburg
U18 International League: EC-KAC
U17: EC-KAC
U15: EC-KAC
U13: EC-KAC
U11: HC TIWAG Innsbruck - Die Haie