Clearly the top producer of hockey talent in Austria, Villach is home to 3 of the 4 current Austrian Hockey players under NHL contract, Michael Grabner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Michael Raffl of the Philadelphia Flyers and Thomas Raffl currently playing with the Winnipeg Jets farm team, the Manitoba Moose.
Playing in the 4500 seat Villacher Stadthalle, EC VSV has some of the most passionate and knowledgable fans in the EBEL.
Since Finnish coach Hannu Jarvenpaa took over the club for the 2012-2013 season, EC VSV has been a top six team each season. They qualified for the 2014 Champions Hockey League after reaching the EBEL semifinals the previous season. The team currently sits in 9th place in the EBEL standings. To learn more about EC VSV be sure to check out their Facebook page.