Interested in learning more about German hockey leagues from the top tiers down to the lower levels?
You’re in luck…
In this post, we’ll be covering each German hockey league for you starting with DEL and moving down from there through DEL2, Oberliga, Regionalliga, and beyond.
There are a number of professional hockey leagues in Germany at varying levels. It’s important for us to go through each of them with you.
Let's go...
Table of contents
DEL
The Deutsche Eishockey Liga, commonly referred to as the DEL, is the top hockey league in all of Germany.
The DEL was founded in 1994 in place of the Eishockey-Bundesliga.
Besides the SHL in Sweden and maybe Liiga in Finland, it’s known by many to be one of the top leagues in all of Europe.
The level of play in DEL is quite high...
How high?
Good question. To give you a quick comparison, DEL clubs have played NHL clubs on multiple occasions in recent years.
These exhibition matches were quite competitive and close in score.
In 2018, the Edmonton Oilers played Kölner Haie (DEL) in the Global Series Challenge, winning 4-3 in OT.
In 2019, the Chicago Blackhawks faced Eisbären Berlin and walked away with a 3-1 W.
For 2022, the San Jose Sharks will face Eisbären Berlin.
Within the DEL league itself, you’ll find a combination of elite level German players and top-tier North American imports. These import players possess experience ranging from the NHL/AHL level to a number of NCAA players who've jumped straight to the European pro hockey level.
DEL2
DEL2 is the second highest level of hockey in Germany.
In terms of level of play, DEL2 is one of the most skilled 2nd leagues on the continent. Much like the top league, you’ll find most all imports here with high level playing experience (NHL/AHL/ECHL -> top NCAA/USports who have pro experience under their belt).
DEL2 is the most attended 2nd league in Europe with an average of over 2,500+ fans per game. Some clubs have larger barns than this, while others in the league fill smaller arenas with passionate fan bases.
The league began in 2013 as a new 2nd league that lies underneath DEL.
In 2015 after a few years of dispute at the league operations level, things were smoothed out and promotion/relegation was now possible again between DEL2 and DEL.
In short, this means that a club can move up or down a league based on their play that season. If a clubs going up for promotion, they also need to meet certain conditions to be accepted such as enough financial budget, sponsors, etc.
In 2017, DEL2 and Oberliga (which we’ll cover below) came to terms as well regarding promotion/relegation.
Oberliga
The third highest level of ice hockey in Germany is called Oberliga.
You might hear the league referred to by some as Germany3 depending on who you’re talking to.
Oberliga is a quality 3rd tier league which is comprised of teams all across Germany, plus the Tilburg Trappers who are located just West across the German border in The Netherlands. They were the first club not based in Germany to be allowed in a German league.
Fun fact: Tilburg won the Oberliga championship three straight seasons in a row upon joining the league from 2015-2018.
The two conferences (or divisions) in the league are Oberliga Nord and Oberliga Süd, depending on which region the club is based.
Since the mid 1940’s, the league has continued running strong as a league in Germany. Over that time, the tier has changed as other leagues above it were formed.
How is the level of play in Oberliga?
It’s hard to broadly paint a brush comparing an entire league in one country to another since clubs top to bottom can differ. Doing so though will help provide you with a better understanding of the skill level though so we’ll try…
A third league in Europe that is similar to Oberliga in level of play would be HockeyEttan in Sweden.
The game of hockey continues to grow natively in Germany each year. Due to this development, local talent keeps making strides which elevates the league. Imports in the league amplify this even further…
Hockey clubs in Germany’s third league have high expectations for import players.
One may assume (falsely) that just because it’s a 3rd league, clubs will eagerly sign all sorts of players.
This is certainly not the case…
Most imports that Oberliga clubs roster carry with them extensive resumes ranging from minor league (AHL/ECHL/etc) and university (NCAA/USports) playing experience prior to them playing in Deutschland.
In addition, Germany is a great place to live culturally away from the ice, making it an optimal place for players to play.
If you’re a player who has the skill set but maybe doesn’t have a top-tier resume “on paper”, you need a way to stand out to these teams along with the proper access for them to even learn about you.
Similar to the other hockey leagues in Germany, Oberliga fans are passionate about their hockey teams.
Based on our experience in arenas there, club supporters will stand/cheer throughout just as they would for a local football (soccer) match.
You’ll find no shortage of colorful team scarfs, drums, and blow horns.
Regionalliga
The 4th highest tier of hockey in Germany is called Regionalliga.
Founded in the early 1960’s, the league now comprises of 40+ teams dispersed throughout the country.
Here in the 4th hockey league in Germany, you’ll find a wide mix of skill sets from the top to bottom of rosters. The same is true as you move from one team to the next.
By playing in the league here, many German players are able to continue playing competitive level hockey in their home country. Much like Oberliga, arenas can be quite loud too which creates a great atmosphere.
Imports from team to team in Regionalliga vary quite a bit as well…
On one team, you might have a few imports with some minor-pro level/NCAA experience. On another club, their import(s) may carry less playing experience in terms of where they’ve played. Depending on clubs budgets/sponsors each season, an organization may (or may not) have the ability to sign stronger players.
As we move down to the lower leagues in Germany, club budgets/sponsors/etc start to lower quite a bit.
Germany5
As the league name states, Germany5 is the 5th level of hockey in the country.
Over 70+ teams make up the league.
Many teams in the league are the 2nd or 3rd teams of the main pro club in that city (example: Löwen Frankfurt II or Moskitos Essen II)
Germany6
The sixth league in Germany sits just below Germany5 and will be the last one we’ll make quick mention of.
The league boasts over 80+ teams.
Closing thoughts
As you’ve likely gathered from this post, there is quite a stark difference in play as you move from the top German hockey leagues to the bottom ones.
We already made it crystal clear that DEL clubs can compete on ice with NHL clubs.
The 2nd and 3rd leagues can certainly pull their weight as well with many European leagues across the continent too in terms of talent.
If you’re a player who’s interested in playing overseas in Europe, don’t hesitate to reach out to us with a message here. We’ll let you know based on your experience if it may (or might not) be a good fit for us to help work with you to play professional hockey in Europe.
