The European University Hockey League (EUHL) is the first European university league in ice hockey, founded in 2013. It is managed by the European University Hockey Association (EUHA). The idea for a university hockey league in Europe came from Jaroslav Straka, with support from Lubomir Sekeras, Frantisek Sadecky, and Peter Spankovic. The initial idea was for a pan-European expansion through the creation of four divisions to save money and time: Eastern (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Hungary), Western (Germany I, France, Belgium, The Netherlands), North (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark) and South (Germany II, Austria II, Switzerland, Slovenia). Presently the EUHL consists of 10 teams from 4 countries, but next year[when?] there will be more teams included. The new applicants come from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Hungary, accompanied by American universities and associations from the USA.
Current season or competition: 2013–14 EUHL season | |
 EUHL logo | |
| Countries |  Slovakia (5 teams)  Czech Republic (3 teams)  Austria (1 team)  Poland (1 team) |
|---|---|
| Region(s) | Central Europe |
| League President | Jaroslav Straka |
| LeagueVice-President | Ľubomír Sekeráš |
| Founded | 2013 |
| First season | 2014–15 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Recent Champions | UK Praha (1st title) |
| Most successful club | UK Praha (3 titles) |
| Headquarters | Trenčín, Slovakia |
| Website | http://www.euhl.eu |
Trophy
editThe winner of the league is awarded the Sekeráš Championship Trophy, named after former Slovak NHL player Ľubomír Sekeráš, who is the co-founder of the league.[1]
Divisions
editFour divisions are planned – Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western. The Northern division will contain teams from universities in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark; the Eastern division teams from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, and Hungary; the Southern division teams from Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Austria, and the Western division teams from France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.[2]
For the first season in 2013–14, only six teams were involved, forming only one division.
Teams
editAt the beginning of the first season only five teams were confirmed – three from Slovakia and two from the Czech Republic – even though more universities were interested in joining the league. However, on 13 November 2013 a new participant, VŠEMvs Managers from Bratislava joined the league, thus increasing the number of participants to six.[3]
In the second season the following teams participated:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Team name | Joined | Arena | Capacity | Titles | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles University in Prague | Prague |
1347 | Public | UK Praha | 2013 | Zimní stadion Slaný | 3,200[4] | 1 | |
| City University of Seattle (VŠM) | Trenčín |
1999 | Private | CityU Gladiators Trenčín | Zimný štadión Pavla Demitru | 6,150 | 0 | [1] | |
| Czech Technical University | Prague
|
2001 | Public | Technika Praha | 0 | ||||
| Pan-European University | Bratislava |
2004 | Private | Paneuropa Kings | Zimný štadión Vladimíra Dzurillu | 3,500 | 0 | [2] | |
| Slovak University of Technology | Bratislava |
1937 | Public | Slávia STU | 0 | [3] | |||
| University of International and Public Relations Prague in Bratislava | Bratislava |
Private | Diplomats Pressburg | 2014 | [4] [5] | ||||
| University of West Bohemia | Plzeň |
1991 | Public | Akademici Plzeň | |||||
| Matej Bel University | Banská Bystrica |
1992 | Public | UMB Banská Bystrica | |||||
| The Podhale State College of Applied Sciences in Nowy Targ[5] |
|
PPWSZ – Podhale Nowy Targ | 2015 | ||||||
| Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu - National-Louis University[6] |
|
1928 | Public | Academy KTH 1928 Krynica-Zdrój | 2016 | ||||
| University of Graz | Graz |
1585 | Public | UHT Dukes Graz | 2015 | Eisstadion Liebenau | 4,050 | [6] | |
| University of Prešov | Prešov
|
Public | UNIPO Warriors | 2016 |
References
edit- ^ "Euha Trophy - Euhl". Archived from the original on 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
- ^ "Universities". EUHL. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
- ^ "New University Team". 13 November 2013.
- ^ "Zimné štadióny".
- ^ "Home". ppwsz.edu.pl.
- ^ "Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu – National Louis University". wsb-nlu.edu.pl.