Made an impression on Yzerman and Draper, now off to Brno

The two NHL legends Steve Yzerman and Kris Draper did not want to miss this: during their stay at the U18 World Championship in Switzerland, the Detroit Red Wings’ General Manager and Head Scout made a detour to Vienna to take a personal look at NHL prospect David Reinbacher. While the national team heads to Brno tomorrow for its second test, live on ORF SPORT + at 16:00, Yzerman and Draper made their way back to Switzerland.

28 April 20233 min read

“The scouts in Europe follow all leagues very closely; you can make it to the NHL from anywhere. Last year, the number one and two picks in the draft came from Slovakia. It is important to have a good youth development programme; ice hockey is growing worldwide,” explained the 57-year-old Yzerman during his stay in Vienna, and he also had some sound advice to offer straight away: “You can learn everything. You learn through experience how to be a better leader. You learn by playing with teammates who are leaders on your team, and as you get older, you mature, and all that experience makes you a better leader.”

He was a leader himself, serving as the Red Wings’ captain for 20 years, which also earned him the nickname “The Captain”. Yzerman and Draper had come to watch David Reinbacher skate and handle the puck, and they spoke, among other things, about Marco Kasper, whom the Red Wings selected eighth overall in the 2022 draft and who made his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs on 2 April.

Due to a fractured kneecap Kasper suffered on his debut, he is currently missing the World Championship preparations and the 2023 World Championship itself. “He has developed exceptionally well over the past few years. We want to give him the opportunity to take the next step. It is our organisation’s job to be patient with prospects,” said Draper contentedly.

Return match against Czechia live on ORF SPORT +

Following Thursday evening’s 0:6 defeat, Head Coach Roger Bader’s team will face the six-time world champions again tomorrow, Saturday, with ORF SPORT * broadcasting live from 16:00. The five players who were not in the line-up on Thursday will play on Saturday. They are EC Red Bull Salzburg forwards Florian Baltram, Paul Huber and Lucas Thaler, as well as defencemen Erik Kirchschläger and Steven Strong.

Senior national team dates and World Championship preparation schedule

Team camp 1
2–6 April 2023, Villach

Team camp 2
9–14 April 2023, Innsbruck

Team camp 3
17–22 April 2023, Deggendorf (GER)

Team camp 4
25–29 April 2023, Vienna

Team camp 5
2–6 May 2023, Kapfenberg

Test matches
(subject to change)

Austria vs. Slovenia 3:5 (1:2, 2:1, 0:2)
Thu, 6 April 2023, 17:30, Villach
Austria goalscorers: Emilio Romig (at 20/PP1), Nico Feldner (at 25/PP1, 28)

Italy vs. Austria 2:0 (0:0, 1:0, 1:0)
Wed, 12 April 2023, 20:00, Bruneck (ITA)

Austria vs. Italy 3:2 after a penalty shootout (2:0, 0:1, 0:1, 0:0, 1:0)
Fri, 14 April 2023, 17:30, Innsbruck
Austria goalscorers: Felix Maxa (at 12), Simeon Schwinger (at 18), Dominic Zwerger (game-winning penalty)

Germany vs. Austria 2:0 (2:0, 0:0, 0:0)
Thu, 20 April 2023, 19:30, Deggendorf (GER)

Germany vs. Austria 2:3 after a penalty shootout (1:2,0:1,1:0,0:0,0:1)
Sat, 22 April 2023, 17:00, Landshut (GER)
Austria goalscorers: Lukas Haudum (at 7/PP1), Henrik Neubauer (at 29/PP1), Lukas Haudum (at 65/game-winning penalty) – Lukas Haudum, Henrik Neubauer and Dominic Zwerger all scored for Austria in the penalty shootout. Goaltender Bernhard Starkbaum saved every German attempt.

Austria vs. Czechia 0:6 (0:3, 0:3, 0:0)
Thu, 27 April 2023, 18:30, Vienna

Czechia vs. Austria
Sat, 29 April 2023, 16:00, Brno (CZE)
Live on ORF Sport+

Austria vs. Slovakia
Thu, 4 May 2023, 18:30, Kapfenberg
Live on ORF Sport+

Slovakia vs. Austria
Sat, 6 May 2023, 16:00, Trencin (SVK)
Live on ORF Sport+

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