“Not making the play-offs with Linz in the last two years was or is really tough for me. I always want to play for the championship at the highest level,” Lebler explained in a broadcast from Salzburg, explaining his decision to give in to the “bulls”’ courtship and switch from bottom-placed Linz to the front-runners.

With the team player, the “Bulls” storm receives a proper reinforcement for the upcoming play-off. Lebler has already been voted the top scorer of the season five times. The son of the former KAC and VSV legend Eddie Lebler has played with one exception for the Linz Black Wings since 2011. In the 2015/16 season, the striker tried his hand at Ingolstadt in the German league. The 33-year-old Austro-Canadian scored 317 goals and 233 assists in 561 league games for the Black Wings.

Capitals get Schwinger

But not only Salzburg, but also the spusu Vienna Capitals strengthened for the hot phase of the season. The Viennese Holten Simeon Schwinger from the Dornbirn Bulldogs. Schwinger has scored nine goals and nine assists in 44 league games for Vorarlberg this season and is said to be another option in the Capitals’ attack for the knockout stages.

The 24-year-old offers new offensive opportunities, “on the other hand, he gives us the necessary depth for the play-offs,” said “Caps” coach Dave Barr in a statement on Wednesday about the twelve-time team player. As fourth in the league, the Viennese have a good chance of qualifying directly for the quarter-finals. On Thursday, the capital cities will be guests at Olimpija Ljubljana, on Friday at the Pustertal Wolves.

The Italian team goalie Andreas Bernard said goodbye in Villach and, after his commitment at EC Grand Immo VSV, moved home to HCB Südtirol in Bozen. The 31-year-old has made 30 appearances for VSV so far this season, but was replaced by Tomi Karhunen from Finland last week. For Bernard, the younger brother of HCB captain Anton Bernard, it is his third engagement with the Bolzano team.