The Women's Ice Hockey Bundesliga or DEBL (german: Dameneishockey-Bundesliga, translation=Women's Ice Hockey Federal League) is an Austrian

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

league. It was founded in 1998 and is organized by the

Austrian Ice Hockey Association The Austrian Ice Hockey Association (german: Österreichischer Eishockeyverband, ÖEHV) is an association of Austrian sports clubs with ice hockey activities. The highest-level hockey league in Austria is the Austrian Hockey League which is also ...

(ÖEHV). Originally established as the Austrian Championship league in women's ice hockey, the national championshup () has been contested in a separate tournament since the introduction of international teams to the DEBL in the 2008–09 season. Austria had 652 female players in 2013.

History

Founded in 1998, the league uses a format of home and away matches. In the 2004–05 season, the best Austrian teams additionally also competed in the international

Elite Women's Hockey League The European Women's Hockey League, abbreviated EWHL, is an international ice hockey league. Created as the Elite Women's Hockey League in 2004 by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the EWHL comprises clubs from several countries in ...

(EWHL). From the following season onward, the top teams only played in the EWHL, making the Bundesliga in a sense the second-level league of Austrian Women's ice hockey. As a result, the title of Austrian champion is decided in a separate tournament titled ' (National Championship), featuring the three teams that play in the EWHL and the top DEBL team. Exceptions were the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons where EWHL clubs were the only competing teams. Since 2008, following the example of the men's Austrian Hockey League, the DEBL has also featured teams from

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

, and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Format

; 2017–18 season The nine teams of the DEBL are assembled into one division. The teams play each other three times a year. The top DEBL team qualifies for the where it meets the three Austrian teams from the EWHL. The tournament uses a home- and away-game format. The two top teams contest the final, using a best-of-three format. The better-placed team has the right to contest the first game in its home ground. The other two teams contest the third-place play-off, also using a best-of-three format.

Teams

2023–24 season

Past participants

Austria * EC Grazer Eishexen (

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

), 2001–2004 * EC Kitzbühel (

Kitzbühel Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbühel district (). Kitzbühel ...

), 2012–13 * SpG

Kufstein Kufstein (; Central Bavarian: ''Kufstoa'') is a town in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the administrative seat of Kufstein District. With a population of about 19,600 it is the second largest Tyrolean town after the state capital Innsbruck. The great ...

(Kitzbühel), 2015–2022 * EHC Kundl Crocodiles (

Kundl Kundl is a market town in the Kufstein district in the Austrian state of Tyrol. Geography Kundl is situated 7.70 km west of Wörgl as well as 18.30 km southwest of Kufstein at the southern side of the Inn River and is made up of 4 part ...

), 2002–2004 * KSV Neuberg Highlanders (

Neuberg an der Mürz Neuberg an der Mürz is a municipality in the district of Bruck-Mürzzuschlag in the Austrian state of Styria. Geography Neuberg lies in the upper valley of the Mürz at the foot of the Schneealpe northwest of Mürzzuschlag Mürzzuschlag is a ...

), 2005–2013 & 2019–2021 * DEHC Red Angels Innsbruck (

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

), 1998–2010 *

EHV Sabres EHV may refer to: *Equine herpesvirus, a group of viruses that affect horses *Extra high voltage, a type of power supply *Evangelical Heritage Version The Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV) is a translation of the Bible into the English language. ...

(

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

), 1999–2005 * EHV Sabres II (Vienna), 2006–07 & 2010–2016 * EC The Ravens Salzburg (

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

), 2002–2005 * EHC Wildcats St. Johann ( St. Johann in Tirol), 1998–2002 * WE-V Flyers II (Vienna), 2005–2008 * SpG WE-V Flyers/KSV Neuberg Highlanders, 2016–2019 Croatia * Grič Zagreb (

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

), 2012–2019 Hungary * Hokiklub Budapest II (

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

), 2015–2023 ** KMH Budapest II, 2015–2022 * KSI SE Budapest (Budapest), 2021–2023 * Óbudai Hockey Academy (Budapest), 2017–18 Slovenia *

HDK Maribor Hokejsko drsalni klub Maribor or simply HDK Maribor, also named Lisjaki ( en, The Foxes), is an ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings spec ...

(

Maribor Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...

), 2011–2015 *

HK Celje Hokejski klub Celje ( en, Celje Hockey Club) or simply HK Celje, currently named HK LedX Celje due to sponsorship reasons, is an ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating ...

(

Celje ) , pushpin_map = Slovenia , pushpin_label_position = left , pushpin_map_caption = Location of the city of Celje in Slovenia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Cou ...

), 2009–2011 * HK Triglav (

Kranj Kranj (, german: Krainburg) is the third-largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 37,941 (2020). It is located approximately northwest of Ljubljana. The centre of the City Municipality of Kranj and of the traditional region of Upper Carniol ...

), 2008–2014 * Slovenia Select (

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

), 2022–23 * SpG Triglav/ Olimpija, 2015–16 Turkey * Turkey women's national team, 2011–12

Championship record

DEBL Champions by season

DEBL II

In 2004, due to the increasing number of teams, a second division titled DEBL II was created. There was no match play in this league in the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons. The team that finishes at the bottom of the DEBL league table at the end of the season meets the top team of the DEBL II over a best-of-three series. The winner of that contest then plays in the DEBL during the next season, while the loser is relegated to the second DEBL."DEBL II – Austragungsmodus"
(description of 2nd league format), ÖEHV Women"s Ice Hockey website ; Teams for 2017–18 season * DEC Dragons Klagenfurt * EHC Lustenau *

II * Red Angels Innsbruck * SPG Salzburg/Linz

References

''This article incorporates information from the existing French Wikipedia article at :fr:Championnat d'Autriche féminin de hockey sur glace and the existing German Wikipedia article at :de:Dameneishockey-Bundesliga.''

External links

* *
Women's ice hockey page on ÖEHV website
*
Austria women's ice hockey on www.eishockey.org
*
EWHL website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Austria women's ice hockey Bundesliga Ice hockey leagues in Austria Women's ice hockey leagues in Europe 1998 establishments in Austria Sports leagues established in 1998 Women's sports leagues in Austria

Hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...