Ice Hockey World Cup 2022: Austria in Bernd Freimüller’s expert check – winter sports – ice hockey
After three years it’s that time again: On Saturday, the ice hockey world championships for the ÖEHV finally start again with the game against Sweden (from 11:20 a.m. in the LIVE ticker>>>).
A look back and what to expect from the national team – from LAOLA1 scout Bernd Freimüller:
Translation to a higher class
After the relegation from Bratislava, the B-WM falls twice in the water. Whether Austria would have managed to return to the A class, stayed there or failed twice – all just coffee brew reading.
So Corona killed two B World Cups (the last A World Cup took place, but without relegation), the Ukraine war then changed the classification in March: France (as the better team in the world rankings) replaced Russia, Austria stepped in for Belarus, the last year his group finished behind Great Britain.
This year there are two relegated teams, Slovenia and Hungary are moving up from Group B. What WILL happen to Russia and Belarus upon their return, no one knows at this point…
Six weeks of preparation
The team camp was originally geared towards the B World Championships in Ljubljana at the beginning of May, but now two more weeks have been added.
During the six weeks of preparation, team boss Roger Bader called up 47 players, seven of them (Madlener, Kirchschläger, Unterweger, Wimmer, Feldner, Ganahl, Haudum) were there from the first to the last day.
Group opponents Great Britain, for comparison: coach Pete Russell first saw his 27-man squad on May 3. The ten days before the start of the World Cup also had to be used for four friendlies, Austria played ten.
Austria’s ice hockey in Corona times
Not much, Austria recently played in two friendly tournaments in Ljubljana (May 21) and Jesenice (November 21). The Austria Cup last played twice in the water.
The only serious fight of the senior team since the World Cup in Bratislava in 2019: the Olympic qualification at the same place in September 2021, which ended with two defeats (1: 2 against Slovakia and 2: 5 against Belarus) and one win (4: 1 against Poland) actually ended as scheduled.
In the last two years, the U20 team has contested two A World Cups without relegation pressure, which had to be canceled last December. This will be held again in August, again without relegation. Only in December does the team have to fear relegation on the fourth attempt, the free games end. All previous six games ended in defeats.
From the U20 teams of the last two years, Philipp Wimmer and Marco Kasper made it into this year’s World Cup squad, other candidates such as Marco Rossi or Lucas Thaler are leaving due to injury.
The U18 team made a fool of themselves at the first World Cup after three years in Asiago and was just able to avoid relegation to fourth division.
Not only because of the partial inactivity: Anyone who has seen a development of Austrian ice hockey – in any direction – in the three Corona years has better eyes than I do. Relegation in Tampere would be an urgently needed sign of life.
Squad then and now
A squad comparison shows how long ago the World Cup in Bratislava was: At that time, Markus Schlacher, Patrick Peter and Alexander Cijan were also part of the game, all three have since switched to private life.
Both in Bratislava and in Tampere: The goalies Starkbaum and Kickert, only Heinrich and Unterweger from the defenders, plus the strikers Baumgartner, Ganahl, Haudum, Schneider and Thomas Raffl.
16 new faces too. The Olympic qualification in September differs from the team in twelve positions (read: Bernd Freimüller introduces the seven World Cup rookies in the ÖEHV squad>>>).
Strengths and weaknesses
A former EBEL coach stated with a laugh: “Austria must be the only nation where both goalies come from the same club team.”
The Capitals duo Bernhard Starkbaum (now 36) and David Kickert have had no competition for years. The fact that David Madlener was preferred to the much younger and more agile Ali Schmidt will of course not have any influence on the World Cup, but it can probably be discussed controversially.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a World Cup or an Olympic qualification: Especially in the key games, the goalies were never in top form, which Bader also received harsh criticism for. Starkbaum played his best season since his return from Sweden today and also signed another contract with the Vienna Capitals. He goes into the tournament as number one, although the last two friendlies didn’t go as he wished.
Completely renewed the defensive, partly through interventions (Nickl, Strong), private reasons (P. Lindner) or cancellations, which probably already mean team resignations (Schumnig, Pallestrang).
Dominique Heinrich, Clemens Unterweger, Kilian Zündel and Bernd Wolf would be set one way or another, probably Dominic Hackl as well. Behind that come workarounds: Erik Kirchschläger has been back at a World Cup for the first time since 2017, Nico Brunner since the Olympic qualification in 2016. In addition, the debutants David Maier and Philipp Wimmer.
Can this crew of nine set accents in one of the two end zones? With the exception of Hackl and Wimmer, they are of course once again undersized in international comparison. None of them can look back on an outstanding season at club level, let alone leadership qualities.
In attack, the prominent absences are Michi Raffl (NHL playoffs), Marco Rossi, Dominic Zwerger (both injured) and Konstantin Komarek. But he probably wouldn’t have been there without his SHL finals appearances with Lulea. Thomas Hundertpfund and Raphael Herburger cancel (see Schumnig and Pallestrang). With chances for the World Cup, but injured: Mario Huber and Florian Baltram.
No best cast either, but there never is anyway. However: Whether Manuel Ganahl or Lukas Haudum, Brian Lebler or Thomas Raffl, Peter Schneider or World Cup debutant Benjamin Nissner – all very good to above-average ICE appearances, plus there is Swiss legionnaire Benjamin Baumgartner, who, however, comes from a horror season . No one will question their World Cup squad, but what does that mean for international hockey?
Simeon Schwinger was called up by the Vienna Capitals to replace Zwerger, who was not fit in time after a check by Moritz Seider in the last friendly against Germany.
The last ten games of the World Cup and Olympic qualifiers combined, only Lebler (5, including three against Poland) and Ganahl (2) scored more than once. Schneider scored once, Raffl or Baumgartner not at all. 17 goals in the ten preparatory games – where opponents like Poland or Italy were also there – does not exactly indicate excessive offensive potential.
Will Austria play one World Cup or three?
In the early days of ice hockey, the A, B and C world championships were played back-to-back in one city. Doesn’t that still apply to Austria today?
Sweden, the USA, Finland and the Czech Republic – four overpowering opponents. Yes, the appearances and results against Sweden (0:1) and the Czech Republic (1:5, 1:4, 1:4) were respectable and honorable, but they will have little to do with the World Cup.
With the exception of Marco Kasper, Austria played all of the Czech Hockey Games, the Swedes and the Czechs continued to strengthen themselves, and even with the famous squads, they did without their top players. Anything but clear defeats at the World Cup would be sensational.
Group B (within the World Cup) for Austria are Norway and Latvia, nations against which we repeatedly calculate our chances of success, only to be disappointed.
The competitive game balances in this millennium: Against Norway one win in four games, against Latvia one in ten. However, both have by no means become stronger in recent years. The best Norwegian generations for more than a decade are the 2004s and 2005s, so still years away.
For Austria, Group C means the game against Great Britain at the World Cup. After staying up in Kosice against France, they also left Belarus behind in the group last year, so they are not casual customers. Only: Unfortunately, there are no easier opponents than Italy and the British in the World Cup, unless the IIHF continues to increase.
The preparatory results of the British in the four games against Denmark and Italy: four defeats, goal difference 1:16.
A new (old) face
Announced in November as a one-off service to Roger Bader, now also at the World Cup behind the gang: Arno Del Curto. Where Germany prepares the engagement of Tom Rowe as an assistant in terms of press, that of the 65-year-old Swiss runs alongside.
In his standard uniform, pullover and jeans, pacing behind the boards, always giving verbal feedback to the players, in between peeping over his reading glasses in the direction of the ice or the scoreboard. Pictures that we know from more than 25 years in the Swiss NL and that will certainly also be shown on the screens at the World Cup.
Bader’s longstanding assistants Phil Lukas, Markus Peintner and Reinhard Divis are also on board, but Del Curto has more head coaching experience than the entire staff combined. With his routine, can he help to counteract negative phases (such as the 0-5 third against Belarus last September)?
Text source: © LAOLA1.at
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