Inten­sive World Cham­pi­onship prepa­ra­tions for U20 in Ferlach

Ferlach joined Austria's ice hockey map last year thanks to HTC Eissport's new year-round ice rink.

Following the U18 national team's summer camp, the U20 national team is completing its World Championship preparations in the Rosental Valley without the two NHL prospects Marco Kasper and Vinzenz Rohrer, ahead of the tournament taking place from 9 to 20 August 2022 at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Due to numerous COVID19 cases, the IIHF called off the U20 World Championship last December. The tournament will now be staged in August under new circumstances.

Both during the preparations and at the U20 World Championship in Canada itself, Philipp Pinter will serve as interim Head Coach. From autumn, Marco Pewal will once again take charge of the current U20 age group. 

Pinter has been Assistant Coach of the U20 national team for the past five years, so he knows the processes and will be supported during the preparations and in August by his Assistant Coach Patrick Harand. Alongside Pinter and Harand, Mathias Lange and Lukas Schluderbacher, who focus on the defence and specific goaltending training, are also part of the coaching staff.

U20 players have done their homework

28 players are taking part in the current World Championship preparations in Ferlach, with 25 set to travel to Canada at the beginning of August. Head Coach Philipp Pinter is very pleased with the camp in the gunsmithing town and the commitment shown by the players: "The boys are giving it everything in training, they made a very fit impression in the fitness tests, they have done their homework!"

With these good foundations in place, the coaches are focusing the ice sessions on work in the defensive zone, which Pinter sees as the key to strong World Championship performances: "At the World Championship, it will be important how quickly we can get out of the defensive zone when we are under pressure. That is the focus of almost every training session. We want to play in our own zone as little as possible. Of course, we know that will be difficult at this level, but when we have the chance, we want to get out as quickly as possible!"

According to the Head Coach, intensive drills are preparing the players for the realities of the World Championship and the upcoming game situations involving hard physical battles: "We need energy in the defensive zone so that we can produce something in attack and build pressure. Ultimately, we always want to play assertive, fast-paced ice hockey with strong skating."

The performances shown on the ice are not making it easy for Pinter and his fellow coaches to make the cut for the final 25-man squad: "Especially among the defencemen, we have great depth this year; they are all big defencemen with strong skating. We are spoilt for choice there, so we still have to put some thought into it and observe them closely!"

Coaching staff rely on communication

The strong communication on the ice, which is repeatedly demanded by the coaches, is striking. As with the U18, Philipp Pinter and Patrick Harand also repeatedly seek direct dialogue with the young players at U20 level. Mathias Lange and Lukas Schluderbacher also take every opportunity to give the players brief, clear instructions.

Assistant Coach Patrick Harand, who is responsible for both forwards and defencemen, adds how important communication is for the players away from the ice as well.

He makes sure that, despite all the seriousness, there is still plenty of fun: "I make sure to keep the players in good spirits, motivate them, ensure we have a good atmosphere in the dressing room and that the boys really go for it!"

Harand is also the point of contact for the players on the bench in both offence and defence: "My job is to talk to the players about certain situations on the ice and give instructions in the blink of an eye!"

For off-ice communication, the coaching staff rely on plenty of meetings, video analysis and discussions, as Pinter adds: "Potential roles for the players are discussed in order to get a feel for whether they are comfortable with that role. Most players have offensive roles at their clubs, but at the World Championship these players will also have to take on defensive roles. And, of course, it is about the special teams for the power play and penalty kill."

U20 national team taking shape

Due to the suspension of Russia and Belarus, the ÖEHV team will play four rather than five preliminary-round games and face Germany, Sweden, the USA and Switzerland in Group B at Rogers Place. The head coach sees the absence of Marco Kasper and Vinzenz Rohrer from the World Championship as an opportunity for other players to step into the spotlight. 

However, the focus is on building the team: "The aim this week is for the boys to come together and perform as a collective. It is about striking the right balance. On the one hand, they know there is a lot at stake, a place in the World Championship squad. Training should be intense and feature hard battles, but on the other hand they should become a great unit. That runs through the whole week!"

On Wednesday, following the demanding training sessions at the ice rink, the players and support staff had a change of pace with a get-together and barbecue at Äschenrast on the Waidischbach with Ferlach Mayor Ingo Appé and Ferlach Sports Councillor Fabian Hans Grabner on the agenda.

Also in attendance was ÖEHV Sport Director Roger Bader, who will travel to Canada for the World Championship as Head of Delegation. The head coach of the men's national ice hockey team is getting an impression of the camp on site, observing players and providing input.

There will be no relegation at the World Championship in August. Austria will therefore also take part in the next scheduled U20 World Championship, which will again be held in Canada, in Halifax and Moncton, from 26 December 2022 to 5 January 2023.

ANOTHER ARTICLE ON THE U20 NATIONAL TEAM

U20 World Championship: Kasper and Rohrer given a rest, plus provisional World Championship squad