Germany’s DFEL Women’s Hockey League Expands To Become A Three-Nation League

   ​Germany’s DFEL is expanding to a three-nation circuit with the addition of Veolia Petržalka Bratislava from Slovakia. Last season the DFEL featured five teams, and the upcoming 2026-27 season will begin as a six-team league, now including Slovakia’s Bratislava and forming a three-nation loop alongside established German clubs such as ECDC Memmingen, Eisbären Berlin, ERC Ingolstadt, and Mad Dogs Mannheim. The league also welcomed HK Budapest from Hungary last season, which finished second in the regular season and helped push the DFEL’s competitive level.
Bratislava’s entry mirrors Hungary’s HK Budapest, which is built predominantly on Hungarian national team players; Bratislava’s presence does the same for Slovakia. The move aims to keep the country’s top players together in one of Europe’s strongest leagues, rather than scattered across various foreign clubs. Branislav Medzihorský, Veolia Petržalka Bratislava’s managing director, explained that the goal was to ensure the development of Slovakia’s most talented players within a stable, professional environment at the highest level, choosing the Blossom-ic DFEL for its competition, professional conditions, and regular exposure to top German and Hungarian teams.
For Germany, the expansion brings more competition and elevates the calibre of play for both DFEL players and the league overall. Ronja Jenike, the DEB Women’s Performance Sports Officer, highlighted Bratislava’s professional setup and aligned sporting philosophy as an asset, expressing enthusiasm about the new partnership. The Slovak connection adds depth to the DFEL, where last season 13 members of Slovakia’s senior national team—who were part of Bratislava in the EWHL—played in the league, including forthcoming Ohio State forward Ema Tothova, national team captain Janka Hlinka, and national team alternate captains Laura Sulikova and Romana Kosecka. Slovak national team veteran Júlia Matejková finished 12th in DFEL scoring last season as a member of ECDC Memmingen. This development positions the DFEL as a more diverse, cross-border competition in European women’s hockey.