With some innovations and an exciting starting position, the highest league of women’s ice hockey starts the new season next Saturday: Officially, the players will now be chasing in the blossom-ic German Women's Ice Hockey League after the puck. The IT technology company is the league's first ever naming partner.
There are also notable changes in the sporting field. For the first time in 30 years, this season without the record champion ESC Planegg (Eight championship titles). The club from the Würmtal did not apply for a license due to the lack of infrastructural prospects. Also no longer taking part in 2023/24: the Amsterdam Tigers. The Dutch team ended their foray into the DFEL after just one season.
Nevertheless, a foreign team will strengthen the league. Hokiklub Budapest completes this year's six-team leagueThis means that one of the most successful European women's ice hockey clubs of the past ten years is joining the blossom-ic DFEL. Five championship titles in the European Women's Hockey League (EWHL), one runner-up title and two EWHL Supercup victories speak volumes in this direction.
“Budapest will definitely give our league more depth, and all teams will benefit from that,” says the DEB-Women's Competitive Sports Officer Ronja Jenike. "I'm really looking forward to the start of the league because the Hungarians will raise the level of competition." In general, Jenike is looking forward to an exciting season. She sees the league as balanced, the location Berlin to "old new greatness", the Mannheim team "similarly strong" as last year and the defending champions from Memmingen even "a bit stronger than last year". Despite the strength of Budapest, Ronja Jenike believes that the blossom-ic DFEL championship will remain in German hands.
Photos: City-Press
Double champion Memmingen is top favorite, although some important players from the last two years are missing from the squad for the new season. The ECDC players definitely have their sights set on the title hat-trick. "Our goal for the season is to reach the playoff final as first in the preliminary round and we would like to defend our championship title," says team manager Peter Gemsjäger. He also rates the league stronger than last year. "With HK Budapest we have a much stronger team than Amsterdam was and Berlin will be a tougher opponent than last time. But the season is long and surprises are possible if there are players absent," says Gemsjäger. His two new (old) trump cards are definitely returning player Theresa Knutson, who played for the HCAP Girls in Switzerland last year, and national player Celina Haider. The Rosenheim native came to Memmingen from Ingolstadt. Master goalkeeper Selma Luggin from Austria is also a strong joker for the ECDC, along with the second North American import player Nara Elia. A team with national players like Daria Gleißner is automatically one of the favorites.
In addition to Budapest and Memmingen, the polar bears from Berlin as not to be underestimated team in the title fight for the 2024/25 season This is mainly due to two names: Franziska Feldmeier and Laura Kluge. Both won the championship last season and have now decided to join a team that has only won one silver medal in the last ten years. A brave but entirely understandable and exciting step. While the Berlin Laura Kluge, born in 1934, returns to her roots in the Hohenschönhausen corrugated iron palace, Feldmeier is the original Planegger, who also played at the Linköping HC in Sweden, completely new in the capital. Both could give the young guns, who already attracted attention last season, the experience they need for the next step.
"We want to continue on the path we started last year," says Eisbären co-trainer Kathrin Fring confidently. "We created the conditions for this in the summer and strengthened ourselves accordingly." Eisbären head coach Phillip Richter expects an interesting season: "The league will be strong and will move closer together. Mannheim and Bergkamen will make much more of their opportunities. Budapest will play a good role."
The league is getting closer together. the fresh wind at the Bergkamen bears and the Mad Dogs Mannheim Maybe not favorites, but everyone is expecting the two teams with the new head coaches Tim Bernhardt (Mad Dogs Mannheim) and Marvin Wintgen (EC Bergkamen) compact, combative and focused. Then there is the ERC Ingolstadt. champions of 2022 are difficult to assess, have a strong goalkeeper in Lisa Hemmerle and a good portion of experience in the squad. Coach Christian Sohlmann, now also an experienced coach in the DFEL, always finds a good way with his teams. Half a year ago, for example, the Ingolstadt team won the DEBCup
The league will open next Saturday at 17:15 p.m., when the defending champions from Memmingen and the Mad Dogs from Mannheim meet. Also in Bergkamen (from 17:30 pm against Budapest) and Berlin (from 19 p.m. against Ingolstadt) will be played on Saturday. Because that is not enough after the long break of over six months, the game will continue on Sunday morning.
Everything live and direct RED+ ice hockey, the new streaming provider of blossom-ic DFEL and the DEB-Young Talent Leagues. More information and all statistics are available as usual on the DEBstatistics page: Women's Bundesliga | DEB LIVE (deb-online.live).