And the winner is...

Austria’s ice hockey experts have decided: Michael Raffl has received this honour for the third time in the vote for Austria’s Ice Hockey Player of the Year 2020, conducted by “Powerplay” and the ÖEHV.

14 April 20213 min readSource: Eishockey.at

The year 2020 will be remembered by everyone because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In March, most championships were cancelled without a title being awarded, with only a few continuing. The National Hockey League (NHL) was one of the leagues that dared to resume in the summer of the previous year with a "bubble" in Canada.

One of the athletes in the "bubble" was Michael Raffl, who battled his way to the Conference Semi-Finals with the Philadelphia Flyers, overcame a 1:3 series deficit against the New York Islanders, but ultimately fell short in the seventh game.

His performances last season – 58 games, eight goals, twelve assists and 14 penalty minutes – drew considerable attention from Austrian ice hockey experts, allowing him to win the vote for Austria’s best ice hockey player for the third time after 2013 and 2014. With 57 points, Raffl finished ahead of the two U20 national team players Marco Rossi (43/Ottawa 67s) and Sebastian Wraneschitz (23/EV Vienna Capitals).

For the first time in this vote, a vote was also cast for an Austrian female player. Anna Meixner, who plays for Brynäs in Sweden, was ranked second and received three points.

Congratulations on this honour. What does it mean to you?

MICHAEL RAFFL: I am very proud to have been voted the best player. An award is always something special.

2020 and 2021 have not been easy years for most people. How are you dealing with the coronavirus situation and how do you focus on ice hockey?

RAFFL: This pandemic was and is not easy for anyone. Many people are certainly worse off than I am. As ice hockey players, however, we are able to do our job, which is a privilege. Compared with 2020, the situation for us players in terms of playing games has improved somewhat. The league schedule is very tight; physically, in my view, it is the most demanding season I have ever played in the NHL.

Last year, the Conference Semi-Finals marked the end of the road. What is still possible this year at the halfway point of the regular season?

RAFFL: We are certainly playing in the NHL’s toughest division. But every team is in the same position. With so many games in such a short space of time, anything can happen. Making the play-offs is at least the goal we are pursuing.

Final standings in the "ÖEHV Player of the Year 2020" vote
1st Michael RAFFL (Philadelphia Flyers) - 57 points
2nd Marco ROSSI (Ottawa 67s) - 43 points
3rd Sebastian WRANESCHITZ (EV Vienna Capitals) - 23 points
4th Dominic ZWERGER (HC Ambri-Piotta) - 13 points
5th Benjamin BAUMGARTNER (HC Davos) - 11 points

Powerplay - the official magazine of the ÖEHV

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Powerplay is the official magazine of the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation. It is published at the start of each season at the end of September and in February/March ahead of the play-off games in the various Austrian championships.

NEW NOW: From 19 March 2021 the new edition of "POWERPLAY" is available.

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