Villach has a reputation as one of the most pictureque places to play hockey in Europe, and as Austria's top developer of young hockey talent. In the 1990s and early 2000s they were also the best team in the country, winning five titles in 15 years. They now have the longest uninterrupted tenure in the top league of any EBEL club.

by Patrik Sommeregger

Of the eight Austrian clubs in the EBEL, six are based in state capitals. One of the two that isn't is EC Villach, located Carinthia. As the only Austrian state with two EBEL clubs -- the other being in Klagenfurt -- the country's southernost state is sometimes called "The Hockey State", a nickname similar to that of the American state of Minnesota.

From humble beginnings to league power

The Villach club was founded in 1923 under the name EC Villacher Sportverein and, until 1977, rose no higher than the second division in Austria. In 1977/78, the club's first season in the top league, they finished last but managed to avoid relegation. From there, they rose quickly and in 1980/81, finished second during the regular season, then won the final series against Vienna EV to capture their first Austrian championship. One of the team's players was Giuseppe Mion, who is now the club's general manager.

In the 1990s, Villach became a league powerhouse, capturing five more titles between 1992 and 2006. As of 2014 they have been in the top league for 37 years -- the longest continuous streak of any EBEL club.

Hockey hotbed

The club plays in the Villach Stadthalle, which gets very loud during home games. The Stadthalle was built in 1969 and has a capacity of 4800. Despite being a town of only 60 000 residents, Villach is consistently one of the best-supported clubs in the league. As their is no major football club in town, the hockey club gets a lot of attention, and has developed a large and loyal fanbase.

Located just 15 km from the Slovenian border, Villach is a pictureque town surrounded by many lakes. It is said that the team is often able to attract free-agent players by offering them less money than other clubs just because it is such an appealing place to live, particularly for players with families.

Developing young talent

Villach is well-known in Austria as the country's top developer of young hockey talent. This began in the late 1970s, as the club rose from second-league status to national champion in just a few years, using all home-grown players. On the 1981 championship team, no player was older than 23.

Because of this reputation, young Villach players are highly sought after and many now play on other clubs, both in the EBEL and abroad. Currently, two of the three Austrian players in the NHL are from Villach -- Michael Grabner of the New York Islanders and Michael Raffl of the Philadelphia Flyers. Both played for Villach SV in the EBEL.

Today

After the last championship title 2006, followed by a loss in the 2007 finals, the team went into a bit of a tailspin, bottoming out in 2011/12 when it missed the playoffs. In 2012/13, Hannu Järvenpää was hired as the new head coach, and he outlined a five-year-plan to return the team to the top. That season, the team made it to the quarter-finals and then the next year to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual champion Bolzano. That was enough to qualify the club for the 2014/15 Champions Hockey League season.

“It's great for us to play in the CHL, and we're happy that we'll have a chance to compare ourselves with the top teams in Europe," said team public relations and marketing manager Gerd Prohaska.

Team facts

2013/14 individual leaders

Click here for current information about the club.