The German Ice Hockey League (DEL) starts its 31st season on Thursday. The highlights of the new season will be the Winter Game in front of around 50,000 spectators in Frankfurt and the first DEL game abroad. Here are answers to the most important questions before the start of the season.
What’s new?
- There is no promoted team. DEL2 champion EV Regensburg did not apply for a license for the highest ice hockey league.
- The main referee will announce the decision in the event of penalties or video evidence over the hall loudspeakers – similar to American football in the National Football League (NFL). He will be equipped with a radio for this purpose. For the first time, the referees on the ice will also be able to communicate via radio.
- The most spectacular new addition is the arena in Munich. The SAP Garden, home of the EHC Red Bull Munich and the basketball team from FC Bayern, has a capacity of 10,796 spectators. The new hall will be opened on September 27th with the Munich team’s match against the Buffalo Sabres from the North American National Hockey League (NHL) with the German national player JJ Peterka. The Grizzlys Wolfsburg will be the first DEL club to play in the new Munich home stadium on October 2nd.
What are the highlights?
This year there will be a Winter Game in front of more than 50,000 spectators: The Löwen Frankfurt will meet the Adler Mannheim in the Southwest Derby on January 4, 2025 (6 p.m.) in the Eintracht Frankfurt football stadium.
For the first time, a regular DEL game will be played abroad. On December 6th (1:00 p.m.) the match between Wolfsburg and Munich will take place in the Czech capital Prague as part of the so-called Winter Hockey Games. The match and matches in the Czech league will be played on these days in a specially built open-air stadium (capacity: 16,000 spectators) on Prague’s Letna hill.
Will there be another relegation?
Not necessarily, and if so, then only one. The bottom team will be relegated if the Kassel Huskies, the Dresdner Eislöwen, the Starbulls Rosenheim, the EV Landshut or the Krefeld Pinguine win the second division. Only these five teams meet the requirements for promotion to the DEL. This means that the time after the end of the main round will be a nail-biter for the bottom team – just like it was for the Augsburger Panther last season, who were relegated on sporting grounds. But since Regensburg ended up winning the DEL2 and did not meet the requirements for promotion, Augsburg was lucky and continues to play in the top division.
Who are the favorites?
Defending champion Eisbären Berlin is one of the hottest contenders for the championship. The capital club has won the title three times in the past four years. The Adler Mannheim once again have the largest budget, but have been waiting for a title since 2019. Munich and former national coach Söderholm are aiming for another attack on the championship after a mixed season. The new arena should help. The Kölner Haie with new coach Kari Jalonen, the Straubing Tigers and surprise runners-up Fischtown Pinguins from Bremerhaven with new coach Alexander Sulzer also think they have a chance.
Which stars have moved to the DEL?
Three prominent German national players moved to the DEL. The Adler Mannheim have signed the duo Marc Michaelis (EV Zug) and Tobias Fohrler (HC Ambri-Piotta) from Switzerland. It will be a first for goal scorer Michaelis (29): The new Adler captain is about to make his DEL debut. He only played in the youth team in Mannheim and then moved to North America. With Dallas Eakins, an experienced NHL coach remains behind the bench. Former NHL professional Tobias Rieder (Växjö Lakers/Sweden) will play in Munich in the new season. Canadian Josh Currie, teammate of superstar Leon Draisaitl at the Edmonton Oilers in 2018/2019, is strengthening the Kölner Haie. The Löwen Frankfurt pulled off a coup in goal by signing Finnish Olympic champion Jussi Olkinuora.
Where can I watch the games?
MagentaSport will show all games live. The Augsburger Panther and ERC Ingolstadt will kick things off on Thursday evening (7:30 p.m.). DF1 will also show individual DEL games live on free TV. The specialty channel will broadcast a game every Sunday at 7:15 p.m. Ingolstadt and Straubing will kick things off on September 22.
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