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The landscape of the Alps Hockey League is becoming clearer for the 2026-2027 season. After weeks of rumors and uncertainty, the transalpine championship will ultimately feature fourteen teams at the start scheduled for September 20. This decision is largely due to the turnaround of HC Merano, the surprise finalist of the previous edition, which confirmed its registration despite seriously considering throwing in the towel. The club from South Tyrol, whose finances remain fragile despite an exceptional spring, has obtained the necessary guarantees to honor a sixth season in the Central European league.
Sixth participation in the AlpsHL last season, Merano defied all expectations by reaching the final. A run that no one expected, in a championship dominated in recent years by the heavyweights Ritten, Jesenice, and Cortina. Driven by a generation of Italian players reaching maturity and by a coach who managed to get the most out of a modest roster, the club shook up the hierarchy with remarkable consistency throughout the season. But behind the sporting feat, economic realities almost got the better of the enthusiasm. Travel costs, increased by the league's geographical expansion to Croatia, weigh heavily on the budget of a club with limited resources.
Sixth participation in the AlpsHL last season, Merano defied all expectations by reaching the final.
Uncertainty lifted, roster to build
The Merano management had initially expressed reluctance to continue the adventure, citing logistical costs that had become difficult to sustain in a league that now extends from Slovenia to Croatia, passing through Austria and Italy. The turnaround, which occurred in the spring and was confirmed in recent days, allows the competition to maintain a coherent field: fourteen clubs instead of seventeen in some seasons, a more compact format that should favor the intensity of the matchups.
The club has already begun building its roster. The extension of Patrick Tomasini, made official on July 17, sends a strong signal. The Italian forward, a locker room leader and homegrown product, embodies Merano's desire not to be a mere participant after its fiery spring. The transfer market remains active: several moves between the AlpsHL and the ICE Hockey League are expected, particularly through the farm team agreements linking Bolzano to Merano and Val Pusteria to Vipiteno. These bridges, which allow young players from elite clubs to gain experience in the lower championship, constitute a strategic lever for the more modest teams.
Fourteen names, four countries
The 2026-2027 AlpsHL field retains its international dimension. Austria places the largest contingent with the young prospects of the EC-KAC Future Team, the juniors of Red Bull Salzburg, the Adler of Kitzbühel, and the Eisbären of Zell am See. Italy fields Cortina, Gherdeina, Merano, Ritten, the Wipptal Broncos of Vipiteno, and the Cavaliers of Unterland. Slovenia is represented by HK Celje and SIJ Jesenice, while KHL Sisak carries the colors of Croatia, integrated into the league since 2024. This mosaic of four federations constitutes both the strength and the challenge of the AlpsHL: the budget gaps between the historical powerhouses and the more modest teams remain significant, but the reduction of the field could tighten the overall level and make every road trip more decisive.
A pivotal season
The eighth edition of the Alps Hockey League opens in a particular context. The league, born in 2016 from the merger of the Italian Serie A and the Austrian Inter-National League, is still seeking its cruising speed after a decade of existence. The fourteen-team format could offer a more readable schedule and more intense rivalries, with each matchup weighing more heavily in the race for playoff qualification spots.
The Merano surprise has shown that the hierarchy is not set in stone and that a well-managed club can move mountains. The Rittner Buam, defending champions, will have to contend with expanded ambitions. Jesenice, Cortina, and Salzburg will field rosters built to play leading roles. The resumption, scheduled for exactly two months from now, will tell whether the tightening of the field produces the emulation effect hoped for by league officials.