The 2024/25 Oberliga season promises pure excitement: With the Tilburg Trappers celebrating their ten-year Oberliga anniversary and last year's finalists Hannover Scorpions looking to satisfy their hunger for the title with the help of new top reinforcements, the question at the start of the season is: Can the north break the dominance of the south in the fight for promotion?
The 2024/25 season of the Oberliga, which opens next Thursday, promises exciting developments in both seasons. A total of 25 teams will be taking part. New to the competition: the Bietigheim Steelers, who are returning to the southern division after their relegation from the DEL2. With the experienced newcomers like Tyler McNeely and Pawel Dronia, the Steelers want to establish themselves in the Oberliga.
In the north, the focus is on the Tilburg Trappers, who have been playing in the top league for ten years and have always been among the favorites. After being knocked out in the semifinals last season against the eventual champions and promoted team from Weiden, the Dutch team want to play for the title again this year. To mark their anniversary, the season opening game will take place one day before the other teams next Thursday, September 19th in Tilburg. It starts at 20 p.m., and their opponents are the Herner EV Miners. The southern teams start the new season on Friday, September 20th, 2024.
The Hannover Scorpions are also considered one of the strongest teams this season. They have strengthened their team in a targeted manner and want to build on the achievements of last season - winning the main round in the north and reaching the final. Their city rivals, the Hannover Indians, also announced new offensive power in the summer with the new signings Jussi Petersen from the DEL2 and the Finnish striker Timo Metsävainio.
In the south, the group of favourites is similarly broad. Here, the Heilbronner Falken, the team of the Deggendorfer SC and also the Bietigheim Steelers to the potential top teams. The Heilbronner Falken have new signings for the 2024/25 season such as Brett Ouderkirk, Thore Weyrauch and Calder Anderson. The Deggendorfer SC was able to win the “Player of the Year” of the Oberliga Süd David Stach as well as Andre Hult and Jaro Hafenrichter will strengthen the team. The teams around Heilbronn and Deggendorf only just missed the top of the table last season, finishing second and third behind the promoted team Weiden.
Who will prevail and who will surprise?
However, it has always been shown in recent years that the Oberliga is good for many surprises - and there are certainly teams in both seasons that will prove to be a threat to the favorites and will play a good role in the course of the season. In this respect, all experts expect a close race in both seasons for the playoff and pre-playoff places. Especially since many established teams compete with each other that have a certain rivalry - also due to their local proximity. These include multiple German champions such as EV Füssen (16 titles), SC Riessersee (10) and the Tölzer Löwen (2).
In recent years, the teams from the southern division have often prevailed in the playoffs, but the 2024/25 season could bring about a turnaround. Clubs from both divisions have strengthened significantly, and the battle for supremacy between north and south could become even more exciting this year. According to the schedule, the Oberliga champion will be decided by the end of April 2025 at the latest. There will be no relegation play-off this season.
Structural improvements: power break and video evidence
Those responsible for the Oberliga and the coaches praise the structural improvements that will be introduced for the 2024/25 season. The focus is particularly on power breaks and extended video evidence in order to make the game more dynamic and fairer. These new regulations allow referees to evaluate controversial scenes such as goal decisions or major penalties more precisely. Even if not all locations can use the technical options at the start of this season, video evidence will be implemented league-wide by next season.
These measures are part of the ongoing efforts to further professionalize the Oberliga and raise standards both on and off the ice. In addition, the Fans benefit from faster and more transparent decisions. These innovations could make the competition in the league more balanced and thus increase the excitement for everyone involved.
It remains to be seen whether the north will succeed in breaking the dominance of the south. One thing is certain, however: the 2024/25 season promises a lot of excitement and intensity. The games of the two Oberliga seasons will also be broadcast on Sprade TV in the coming season.