U16 INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
The junior leagues organized by the ICE Hockey League have been extended by a third age group. This season the best U16 teams from Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and the Czech Republic will participate in the U16 International Tournament Championship. The champion will be determined on four tournament weekends, where the field decimates more and more until the final.
The newly created U16 International Tournament Championship includes 22 teams in its first season. With the EC-KAC, EC VSV, Hydro Fehérvár AV19 and UTE Budapest, four teams are automatically set for the quarter-finals. The other 18 teams also compete in three groups of six at three locations to qualify for the top 12 teams. Until the final tournament in the middle of February in Salzburg, the four finalists will be selected in further tournaments.
"As the focus is increasingly on the U18 and U16 championships, we have also included an international component in this age group. Due to the density of national games, the new format will be played in a tournament mode. With this pilot project, we are trying to improve quality in order to bring our young talents even faster to the international level," commissioner Michael Suttnig said.