DEL2

DEL2, also known as DEL II, is the second-level of ice hockey in Germany, below the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (German Ice Hockey League). Founded in 2013 to replace the defunct 2nd Bundesliga, DEL2 is administered by ESBG, under licence from DEB.
==History==
The DEL2 league was founded on 2 May 2013 by Eishockeyliga Betriebsgesellschaft mbH. The foundation of the league was controversial as it was preceded by a long standing dispute between the operator of the second division, Eishockeyspielbetriebsgesellschaft mbH (ESBG), and the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB).
 
In 2011, ESBG refused to sign a cooperation agreement between DEB and DEL citing unacceptable conditions. As a result, DEB withdrew their support of ESBG and promotion and relegation between the DEL and 2nd division was removed. On 18 April 2013, the Eishockeyliga Betriebsgesellschaft mbH was established by Ernst Rupp, CEO of Heilbronn Falcons. The new company was founded with the goal of reforming a new second division league. The new company quickly aligned with DEL and officially founded the new league on 2 May 2013. The DEB responded by labelling the new league an unsanctioned breakaway competition. ESBG subsequently filed an injunction against DEB in the Munich Regional Court. On 17 July 2013, the DEB, second division clubs and ESBG came to an out of court settlement on the matter. The settlement agreement between ESBG and DEB stipulated the status-quo of ESBG running the second division operations until 2018. Post 2018, the league would then be separated and self-run. 
 
In 2014, the league expanded to include fourteen teams, the same number as the DEL. DEL2 had started with just twelve teams in the 2013/14 season.
 
In April 2015, DEB altered its statutes so clubs associated with DEL and DEL2 could become members of the DEB again. This decision by DEB led to a new agreement being reached between DEL and DEL2 in September 2015 to re-enable promotion and relegatio] between the two leagues. This system implemented was based on sporting achievement but came with specified condition caveats on the DEL2 team wishing to obtain promotion.DEL: Rückkehr zu Auf- und Abstieg? Fahrplan steht! kicker.de, published: 8 September 2015, accessed: 22 September 2015 
 
At the conclusion of the 2015/16 season, DEL2 was recognised as the best-supported second-tier hockey league in Europe. DEL2 had average spectator attendances of 2,688 per match.
 
1 July 2016, the DEL2 club Fischtown Pinguins became the first club from DEL2 to be ‘unofficially’ promoted to DEL. The Pinguins were not promoted through the DEL/DEL2 promotion system but instead applied for a vacated licence in DEL, following the withdrawal of the Hamburg Freezers who ceased operations on 24 May 2016.
 
In 2017, the DEL2 and Oberliga (German third division) reached agreement for the introduction of promotion and relegation between the two divisions. The first ever DEL2 relegation occurred at the end of the season with Starbulls Rosenheim relegated to Oberliga. 
 
As of 2018, no DEL2 team had been able to meet the conditions for promotion to DEL. This led to new negotiations between the two leagues and in July 2018 a new agreement was reached to introduce automatic promotion and relegation between the two divisions, starting in the 2020/21 season, ten years after it was taken away.
==Champions==
The champions, runners-up and regular season premiers of the league standings:
DEL2 season-by-season results	DEL2 season-by-season results	DEL2 season-by-season results	DEL2 season-by-season results 	DEL2 season-by-season results 	DEL2 season-by-season results 	DEL2 season-by-season results 	DEL2 season-by-season results 	DEL2 season-by-season results 	DEL2 season-by-season results 	DEL2 season-by-season results 	DEL2 season-by-season results 	DEL2 season-by-season results 	DEL2 season-by-season results	DEL2 season-by-season results	DEL2 season-by-season results	DEL2 season-by-season results
Season 	Regular season 	Regular season 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Playoffs 	Top scorer 	Top scorer 	Promoted team 	Relegated team
Season 	Premiers 	 	Champions 	Result 	Runners-up 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	Player 	 	Promoted team 	Relegated team
2013–14 	Fischtown Pinguins 	104 	Fischtown Pinguins 	4:1 	Bietigheim Steelers 	4:3 	2:3 	4:3 	4:2 	3:2 	- 	- 	Harrison Reed 	90 	- 	-
2014–15 	Bietigheim Steelers 	114 	Bietigheim Steelers 	4:2 	Fischtown Pinguins 	4:3 	3:4 	4:3 	4:3 	1:6 	4:3 	- 	Mike Collins 	81 	- 	-
2015–16 	Bietigheim Steelers 	111 	EC Kassel Huskies 	4:0 	Bietigheim Steelers 	1:0 	3:2 	3:2 	5:2 	- 	- 	- 	Justin Kelly 	85 	Fischtown Pinguins 	-
2016–17 	Bietigheim Steelers 	109 	Löwen Frankfurt 	4:2 	Bietigheim Steelers 	7:5 	4:0 	4:2 	2:3 	1:2 	5:2 	- 	Matt McKnight 	72 	- 	Starbulls Rosenheim
2017–18 	SC Riessersee 	103 	Bietigheim Steelers 	4:1 	SC Riessersee 	3:1 	3:5 	2:1 	6:3 	2:0 	- 	- 	Richard Mueller 	80 	- 	SC Riessersee
2018–19 	Löwen Frankfurt 	97 	Ravensburg Towerstars 	4:2 	Löwen Frankfurt 	5:3 	1:3 	6:5 	7:4 	1:3 	5:1 	- 	Roope Ranta 	79 	- 	Deggendorfer SC
2019–20 	Löwen Frankfurt 	94 	Play-offs cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic	Play-offs cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic	Play-offs cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic	Play-offs cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic	Play-offs cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic	Play-offs cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic	Play-offs cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic	Play-offs cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic	Play-offs cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic	Play-offs cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic	Dylan Wruck 	88 	- 	-
2020–21 	Kassel Huskies 	112 	Bietigheim Steelers 	3:2 	Kassel Huskies 	1:2 	1:4 	3:2 	5:4 	5:2 	- 	- 	Marco Pfleger 	86 	Bietigheim Steelers 	-
2021–22 	Löwen Frankfurt 	112 	Löwen Frankfurt 	4:0 	Ravensburg Towerstars 	7:0 	3:1 	1:0 	2:1 	- 	- 	- 	Peter Quenneville 	80 	Löwen Frankfurt 	Tölzer Löwen
2022–23 	Kassel Huskies 	131 	Ravensburg Towerstars 	4:1 	EC Bad Nauheim 	4:2 	0:3 	5:2 	3:1 	7:3 	- 	- 	Marcel Müller 	70 	- 	Heilbronner Falken
*2023–24: Eisbären Regensburg
==External links==
* www.del-2.org, official website
==References==
Category:Ice hockey leagues