Austria women's ice hockey Bundesliga

Ladies' Ice Hockey Bundesliga
Dameneishockey-Bundesliga (German)
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2025–26 DEBL season
SportIce hockey
Founded1998 (1998)
FounderAustrian Ice Hockey Association
No. of teams11
Country
  • Austria (5 teams)
  • Croatia (1 team)
  • Hungary (4 teams)
  • Slovenia (1 team)
Most recent
champion
Austria IceCats Linz AG
(2025–26)
Most titlesAustria EHV Sabres (5)
Related
competitions		EWHL
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

The Ladies' Ice Hockey Bundesliga (German: Dameneishockey-Bundesliga, lit. 'Ladies' Ice Hockey Confederated League') or DEBL is a multi-national ice hockey league operated by the Austrian Ice Hockey Association (ÖEHV). It was founded in 1998 and originally served as the Austrian Championship league in women's ice hockey – the national championshup (German: Staatsmeisterschaft) has been contested in a separate tournament since the introduction of international teams to the DEBL in the 2008–09 season. Austria had 615 female players in 2013.[1]

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 (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 Staatsmeisterschaft (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, Hungary, Slovenia, and Turkey.[2]

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 Staatsmeisterschaft 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.[3]

Teams

2025–26 season

Eleven teams participated in the 2025–26 DEBL season: five from Austria, four from Hungary, and one each from Croatia and Slovenia.[4]

Team Location Home venue Head coach
DHC IceCats Linz AG Austria Linz Linz AG Eisarena Harald Fülöp
EAC Capitals Austria Vienna Steffl Arena Jan Lebis
EC-KAC Austria Klagenfurt Heidi Horten Arena Harald Ofner
Ferencvárosi TC Hungary Budapest FTC-Telekom Rink Bernadett Holzer
Graz99ers Huskies II Austria Graz Merkur Eisstadion Cody Wickstrom
HDK Maribor Slovenia Maribor Ledna dvorana Tabor Adi Drnda
HK Budapest II Hungary Budapest Tüskesator Vivien Somogyi
HK Siscia Croatia Sisak Ledena dvorana Zibel Branko Lončarević
MAC Marilyn Budapest Hungary Budapest Kisstadion Kristóf Schmál
Rampage Veszprém Hungary Veszprém Jégcsarnok Veszprém Máté Pukli
Villach Lady Hawks II Austria Villach Stadthalle
Secondary: Ossiacher See Halle (Steindorf)		 Anthony London

Past participants

Austria

  • EC Grazer Eishexen (Graz), 2001–2004
  • EC Kitzbühel (Kitzbühel), 2012–13
  • SpG Kitzbühel/Kufstein (Kitzbühel), 2015–2022
  • EHC Kundl Crocodiles (Kundl), 2002–2004
  • KSV Neuberg Highlanders (Neuberg an der Mürz), 2005–2013 & 2019–2021
  • DEHC Red Angels Innsbruck (Innsbruck), 1998–2010
  • EHV Sabres (Vienna), 1999–2005
  • EHV Sabres II (Vienna), 2006–07 & 2010–2016
  • EC The Ravens Salzburg (Salzburg), 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), 2012–2019

Hungary

  • Angels Dunaújváros (Dunaújváros), 2023–24
  • Hokiklub Budapest II (Budapest), 2015–2023
    • KMH Budapest II, 2015–2022
  • KSI SE Budapest (Budapest), 2021–2023
  • Óbudai Hockey Academy (Budapest), 2017–18

Slovenia

Turkey

Championship record

DEBL Champions by season

Season 1st place, gold medalist(s) Champion 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third Place
1998-99 Gipsy Girls Villach Vienna Flyers DEHC Red Angels Innsbruck
1999-2000 Gipsy Girls Villach EHV Sabres Vienna not contested
2000-01 Vienna Flyers EHV Sabres Vienna not contested
2001-02 EHV Sabres Vienna Vienna Flyers not contested
2002-03 EHV Sabres Vienna EC The Ravens Salzburg DEC Dragons Klagenfurt
2003-04 EHV Sabres Vienna EC The Ravens Salzburg DEC Dragons Klagenfurt
2004-05 EHV Sabres Vienna EC The Ravens Salzburg DEC Dragons Klagenfurt
2005-06 DEHC Red Angels Innsbruck Gipsy Girls Villach 1. DEC Devils Graz
2006-07 Gipsy Girls Villach DEHC Red Angels Innsbruck 1. DEC Devils Graz
2007-08 DEC Dragons Klagenfurt SPG Kitzbühel/Salzburg Gipsy Girls Villach
2008-09 Slovenia HK Triglav Kranj DEC Dragons Klagenfurt Neuberg Highlanders
2009-10 SPG Kitzbühel/Salzburg Slovenia HK Celje Slovenia HK Triglav Kranj
2010-11 Neuberg Highlanders Slovenia HK Triglav Kranj EHV Sabres Vienna II
2011-12 Neuberg Highlanders EHV Sabres Vienna II Slovenia HDK Maribor
2012-13 Neuberg Highlanders Slovenia HDK Maribor Croatia Grič Zagreb
2013-14 Croatia KHL Grič Zagreb Gipsy Girls Villach Slovenia HK Triglav Kranj
2014-15 EHV Sabres Vienna II Croatia KHL Grič Zagreb Slovenia HDK Maribor
2015-16 Slovenia SpG HK Triglav/HK Olimpija Hungary KMH Budapest II SpG Kitzbühel/Kufstein
2016-17 Hungary KMH Budapest II SpG Vienna/Neuberg SpG Kitzbühel/Kufstein
2017-18 Hungary Óbudai Hockey Academy Hungary KMH Budapest II SpG Kitzbühel/Kufstein
2018-19 Hungary Ferencvárosi TC Hungary KMH Budapest II SpG Kitzbühel/Kufstein
2019-20 Neuberg Highlanders Hungary KMH Budapest II not contested
2020-21 Hungary KMH Budapest II Neuberg Highlanders 1. DEC Devils Graz
2021-22 Hungary MAC Marilyn Budapest Hungary Hokiklub Budapest II Villach Lady Hawks
2022-23 Villach Lady Hawks 1. DEC Devils Graz Hungary Ferencvárosi TC
2023-24 EAC Women Capitals Villach Lady Hawks Graz99ers Huskies II
2024-25 Villach Lady Hawks EC-KAC EAC Women Capitals
2025-26[5] IceCats Linz Villach Lady Hawks

DEBL2

In 2004, due to the increasing number of teams, a second division called DEBL2 (also 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.[6]

Teams

2025–26 season

Six teams participated in the 2025–26 DEBL2 season. All of the teams were based in Austria and three of the teams were the farm teams of DEBL clubs.[7]

  • DHC IceCats Linz AG II (Linz)
  • Graz99ers Huskies III (Graz)
  • Red Angels Innsbruck (Innsbruck)
  • SC Samina Hohenems 1974 (Hohenems)
  • SPG Kitzbühel/Kufstein (Kufstein)
  • VSV Lady Hawks III (Villach)

Championship history

Regular season champions
Season Champion
2004-05Kundl Crocodiles
2005-06EHV Sabres II
2006-07Ravens Salzburg II
2007-09not contested
2009-10Hungary FTC Eagles Budapest
2010-11EC "Die Adler" Kitzbühel
2011-12Neuberg Highlanders II
2012-13DEC Devils Graz
2013-14SPG Kitzbühel/Salzburg
2014-15SPG Kitzbühel/Salzburg
2015-16Slovenia HDK Maribor
2016-17Red Angels Innsbruck

See also

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.

  1. ↑ "Austria > About Austrian Hockey". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  2. ↑ "Live the Dream: Kiira Dosdall and the Vienna Sabres Capture Gold". 12 April 2011. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
  3. ↑ "Staatsmeisterschaft – Austragungsmodus". Dameneishockey.org (in German). Archived from the original on 20 March 2012.
  4. ↑ "1. Bundesliga Damen, 2025/26 – DEBL Preliminary Round 2025-26, Tabelle". ÖEHV (in German). Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  5. ↑ "IceCats Linz sind Meister der DEBL 2026". Austrian Ice Hockey Association (in German). 5 April 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  6. ↑ (in German) "DEBL II – Austragungsmodus" Archived March 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (description of 2nd league format), ÖEHV Women"s Ice Hockey website
  7. ↑ "2. Bundesliga Damen, 2025/26 – DEBL2 Grunddurchgang 2025/26, Tabelle". Eishockey.at (in German). Retrieved 3 April 2026.
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