# 2021–22 DEL season

The 2021–22 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season was the 28th season since the founding of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. It started on 9 September 2021 and ended on 4 May 2022.
The season was contested by 15 teams, as the 2020–21 DEL2 champion SC Bietigheim Steelers received a license. In February 2022, the DEL announced that only one team would be relegated, after only the Löwen Frankfurt applied for a license.

## Teams

| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
| Augsburger Panther | Augsburg | Curt Frenzel Stadium | 6,218 |
| Eisbären Berlin | Berlin | Mercedes-Benz Arena | 14,200 |
| Bietigheim Steelers | Bietigheim-Bissingen | EgeTrans Arena | 4,500 |
| Fischtown Pinguins | Bremerhaven | Eisarena Bremerhaven | 4,674 |
| Düsseldorfer EG | Düsseldorf | ISS Dome | 13,400 |
| ERC Ingolstadt | Ingolstadt | Saturn Arena | 4,815 |
| Iserlohn Roosters | Iserlohn | Eissporthalle Iserlohn | 5,000 |
| Kölner Haie | Cologne | Lanxess Arena | 18,500 |
| Krefeld Pinguine | Krefeld | König Palast | 9,000 |
| Adler Mannheim | Mannheim | SAP Arena | 13,600 |
| EHC Red Bull München | Munich | Olympia Eishalle | 6,256 |
| Nürnberg Ice Tigers | Nuremberg | Arena Nürnberger Versicherung | 7,810 |
| Schwenninger Wild Wings | Villingen-Schwenningen | Helios Arena | 6,215 |
| Straubing Tigers | Straubing | Eisstadion am Pulverturm | 6,000 |
| Grizzlys Wolfsburg | Wolfsburg | Eis Arena Wolfsburg | 4,660 |

## Regular season
### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | PCT | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Eisbären Berlin | 55 | 34 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 194 | 139 | +55 | .679 | Playoffs |
| 2 | EHC Red Bull München | 56 | 28 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 196 | 140 | +56 | .631 | Playoffs |
| 3 | Grizzlys Wolfsburg | 56 | 27 | 9 | 5 | 15 | 166 | 139 | +27 | .619 | Playoffs |
| 4 | Straubing Tigers | 54 | 29 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 188 | 158 | +30 | .593 | Playoffs |
| 5 | Adler Mannheim | 54 | 24 | 10 | 1 | 19 | 165 | 129 | +36 | .574 | Playoffs |
| 6 | Fischtown Pinguins | 55 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 21 | 162 | 148 | +14 | .527 | Playoffs |
| 7 | ERC Ingolstadt | 55 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 176 | 158 | +18 | .503 | Pre-playoffs |
| 8 | Nürnberg Ice Tigers | 54 | 22 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 163 | 177 | −14 | .500 | Pre-playoffs |
| 9 | Düsseldorfer EG | 56 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 25 | 153 | 165 | −12 | .452 | Pre-playoffs |
| 10 | Kölner Haie | 56 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 23 | 155 | 175 | −20 | .440 | Pre-playoffs |
| 11 | Augsburger Panther | 52 | 16 | 4 | 11 | 21 | 137 | 169 | −32 | .429 | |
| 12 | Iserlohn Roosters | 54 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 24 | 159 | 177 | −18 | .414 | |
| 13 | Bietigheim Steelers | 56 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 28 | 155 | 207 | −52 | .405 | |
| 14 | Schwenninger Wild Wings | 55 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 135 | 164 | −29 | .382 | |
| 15 | Krefeld Pinguine (R) | 56 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 29 | 144 | 203 | −59 | .351 | Relegated to DEL2 |

### Results

| Home \ Away | AUG | BER | BIE | BRE | DÜS | ING | ISE | KÖL | KRE | MAN | MUN | NÜR | SCH | STR | WOL | AUG | BER | BIE | BRE | DÜS | ING | ISE | KÖL | KRE | MAN | MUN | NÜR | SCH | STR | WOL |
| Augsburger Panther | — | 2–4 | 3–1 | 4–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 4–5 | 3–2 | — | 5–4 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 6–4 | 0–5 | — | 3–2 | 2–3 | 1–5 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 7–4 | — | 1–2 | 9–4 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 |
| Eisbären Berlin | 3–1 | — | 4–5 | 5–2 | 1–3 | 6–3 | 4–1 | 5–3 | 2–5 | 0–3 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 5–4 | 2–3 | 5–1 | — | 5–1 | 5–1 | 6–7 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 6–2 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 3–6 | 3–1 |
| Bietigheim Steelers | 2–4 | 2–4 | — | 3–10 | 5–2 | 5–4 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 1–4 | 2–4 | 6–3 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2–6 | 0–4 | 4–0 | 4–5 | — | 0–2 | 4–3 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 1–9 | 1–2 | 5–4 | 1–9 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 |
| Fischtown Pinguins | 5–0 | 0–4 | 8–2 | — | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 4–3 | 1–3 | 3–7 | 4–3 | 5–4 | 4–3 | 6–5 | 2–4 | 1–2 | — | 3–2 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 4–0 | 6–4 | — | 3–1 | 2–3 | 2–5 |
| Düsseldorfer EG | 5–3 | 4–7 | 4–1 | 5–2 | — | 3–2 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 2–5 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 6–1 | — | 3–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 1–4 | 0–6 | 5–4 | 2–3 | 4–3 | 2–3 |
| ERC Ingolstadt | 5–2 | 5–2 | 5–3 | 4–2 | 5–4 | — | 4–1 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–6 | 7–2 | 2–1 | 8–1 | 3–4 | — | 3–4 | 4–2 | 0–3 | 3–1 | — | 3–0 | 2–5 | 2–3 | 4–5 | 3–4 | 10–1 | 7–0 | 3–4 | 3–5 |
| Iserlohn Roosters | 5–4 | 4–7 | 2–5 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–4 | — | 5–6 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 5–2 | 2–3 | — | 3–4 | 5–6 | 3–4 | 2–5 | — | 7–3 | 5–2 | 6–3 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 1–2 | — | 5–1 |
| Kölner Haie | 3–2 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 2–0 | 1–6 | 2–3 | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | 3–4 | 1–3 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 2–5 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–7 | 7–3 | 1–4 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 | — | 4–2 | 1–5 | 2–5 | 2–1 | 4–3 | 1–3 | 3–1 |
| Krefeld Pinguine | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 4–6 | 4–5 | 4–3 | 0–6 | — | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 3–5 | 1–5 | 2–5 | 5–4 | 1–5 | 2–5 | 6–4 | 6–3 | 1–6 | 1–7 | 3–1 | — | 3–2 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 0–5 | 1–5 |
| Adler Mannheim | 7–1 | 3–2 | 6–2 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 6–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | — | 3–2 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 4–3 | 3–7 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 4–3 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 6–1 | — | 5–1 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–1 |
| EHC Red Bull München | 4–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–4 | 5–3 | 4–0 | 3–4 | 6–4 | 3–4 | 2–5 | — | 3–2 | 4–2 | 6–3 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 7–3 | 1–0 | 3–4 | 9–1 | 5–0 | 4–5 | 5–1 | 5–2 | — | 4–1 | 4–3 | 0–2 | 2–4 |
| Nürnberg Ice Tigers | 5–1 | 2–6 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 6–1 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 2–4 | — | 2–3 | 6–3 | 4–3 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–5 | 4–3 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 6–2 | 7–4 | 6–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | — | 3–6 | 4–3 | 3–2 |
| Schwenninger Wild Wings | 3–0 | 0–4 | 4–1 | 3–4 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 8–3 | — | 3–5 | 1–0 | — | 2–3 | 3–5 | 2–3 | 5–2 | 2–5 | 4–3 | 5–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 4–5 | — | 5–2 | 1–2 |
| Straubing Tigers | 4–7 | 6–3 | 3–4 | 0–4 | 4–3 | 4–1 | 6–2 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 3–5 | 1–2 | — | 5–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 5–0 | 8–4 | 3–4 | 2–1 | 2–3 | — | 2–4 | — | 5–1 |
| Grizzlys Wolfsburg | 6–5 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 3–2 | 6–3 | 2–6 | 4–3 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | — | 3–1 | 5–4 | 5–3 | 1–4 | 4–2 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 4–3 | 5–2 | 2–1 | 4–3 | 5–1 | 3–0 | 0–4 | — |
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 Overtime
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 Shootout
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The games could not be played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Playoffs
### Bracket

| First round | First round | First round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| | | | 1 | Eisbären Berlin | 3 | | | | | | |
| 7 | ERC Ingolstadt | 0 | 10 | Kölner Haie | 0 | | | | | | |
| 10 | Kölner Haie | 2 | | | | 1 | Eisbären Berlin | 3 | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | Adler Mannheim | 2 | | | |
| | | | 2 | EHC Red Bull München | 3 | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | | | |
| | | | 9 | Düsseldorfer EG | 1 | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | | | |
| | | | | | | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | 1 | Eisbären Berlin | 3 |
| | | | | | | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | 2 | EHC Red Bull München | 1 |
| | | | 3 | Grizzlys Wolfsburg | 3 | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | | | |
| 8 | Nürnberg Ice Tigers | 1 | 6 | Fischtown Pinguins | 2 | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | | | |
| 9 | Düsseldorfer EG | 2 | | | | 2 | EHC Red Bull München | 3 | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Grizzlys Wolfsburg | 0 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Straubing Tigers | 1 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Adler Mannheim | 3 | | | | | | |

### Pre-playoffs

The pre-playoffs were played between 5 and 8 April 2022 in a best-of-three mode.

#### ERC Ingolstadt vs Kölner Haie

* Köln won series 2–0

#### Nürnberg Ice Tigers vs Düsseldorfer EG

* Düsseldorf won series 2–1

### Quarterfinals

The quarterfinals were played between 10 and 18 April 2022 in a best-of-five mode.

#### Eisbären Berlin vs Kölner Haie

* Berlin won series 3–0

#### EHC Red Bull München vs Düsseldorfer EG

* Munich won series 3–1

#### Grizzlys Wolfsburg vs Fischtown Pinguins

* Wolfsburg won series 3–2

#### Straubing Tigers vs Adler Mannheim

* Mannheim won series 3–1

### Semifinals

The semifinals were played between 20 and 28 April 2022 in a best-of-five mode.

#### Eisbären Berlin vs Adler Mannheim

* Berlin won series 3–2

#### EHC Red Bull München vs Grizzlys Wolfsburg

* Munich won series 3–0

### Final

The final was played between 30 April and 4 May 2022 in a best-of-five mode.
* Berlin won series 3–1

## Statistics
### Scoring leaders

List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM | POS |
| Jason Akeson | Straubing Tigers | 52 | 22 | 44 | 68 | +10 | 10 | F |
| Riley Sheen | Bietigheim Steelers | 55 | 40 | 24 | 64 | −4 | 8 | F |
| Matt White | Eisbären Berlin | 54 | 28 | 31 | 59 | +25 | 10 | F |
| Žiga Jeglič | Fischtown Pinguins | 55 | 15 | 42 | 57 | +14 | 40 | F |
| Marcel Noebels | Eisbären Berlin | 50 | 20 | 36 | 56 | +20 | 14 | F |
| Jan Urbas | Fischtown Pinguins | 55 | 25 | 30 | 55 | +15 | 37 | F |
| Jeremy Bracco | Krefeld Pinguine | 54 | 14 | 40 | 54 | −14 | 6 | F |
| Chris DeSousa | Grizzlys Wolfsburg | 50 | 26 | 27 | 53 | +11 | 43 | F |
| Brendan O'Donnell | Düsseldorfer EG | 56 | 22 | 31 | 53 | −7 | 10 | F |
| Mike Connolly | Straubing Tigers | 53 | 19 | 34 | 53 | +5 | 38 | F |

### Leading goaltenders

Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list.
| Player | Team | TOI | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO |
| Henrik Haukeland | EHC Red Bull München | 1109 | 26 | 1.41 | 471 | 94.5 | 2 |
| Maximilian Franzreb | Fischtown Pinguins | 1137 | 34 | 1.79 | 576 | 94.1 | 4 |
| Mathias Niederberger | Eisbären Berlin | 2228 | 73 | 1.97 | 1064 | 93.1 | 2 |
| Dustin Strahlmeier | Grizzlys Wolfsburg | 2431 | 84 | 2.07 | 1198 | 93.0 | 6 |
| Tyler Parks | Straubing Tigers | 732 | 25 | 2.05 | 351 | 92.9 | 2 |

## Awards

The awards were announced on 11 April 2022.
| Award | Player |
| Player of the year | Riley Sheen |
| Goaltender of the year | Dustin Strahlmeier |
| Defenceman of the year | Zach Redmond |
| Forward of the year | Riley Sheen |
| Rookie of the year | Philipp Dietl |
| Coach of the year | Serge Aubin |
| Finals MVP | Frank Hördler |