European University Hockey League


The European University Hockey League is the first European university league in ice hockey, founded in 2013. It is managed by the European University Hockey Association. The idea for a university hockey league in Europe came from Jaroslav Straka, with support from Ľubomír Sekeráš, František Sádecký, and Peter Spankovic. The initial idea was for a pan-European expansion through the creation of four divisions to save money and time: Eastern, Western, North and South. Additional applicants came from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Hungary, accompanied by universities and associations from the USA.

Trophy

The 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.

Divisions

Four 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.
For the first season in 2013–14, only six teams were involved, forming only one division.

Teams

At 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.
In the second season the following teams participated:
InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationTeam nameJoinedArenaCapacityTitlesWebsite
Charles University in Prague