Madlener must leave the champions
EC-KAC are parting ways with goaltender David Madlener after a long spell. His colleague Thomas Höneckl, meanwhile, has found a new club.
2 min readSource: LAOLA1.at
EC Red Bull Salzburg, EC VSV, Moser Medical Graz99ers, Dornbirner EC and now the Black Wings: Thomas Höneckl remains in the bet-at-home ICE Hockey League. The 31-year-old goaltender has signed for the next two years in Linz and will compete with experienced Finnish player Jussi Rynnäs for starts.
In the season just gone, Höneckl made 19 appearances in his only season with DEC, including two in the play-offs. His save percentage in the regular season was 92,0 per cent, while it was even higher in the two play-off appearances against Salzburg (95,0 per cent).
Overall, Höneckl, who made his first Bundesliga appearances for his youth club Salzburg in 2007/08 and has been continuously active in the league ever since, has made 182 appearances in the top division. The Black Wings are also bringing defenceman Laurin Müller (23) back to the Steel City, having played for Steel Wings Linz in 2020/21 and later for VEU Feldkirch.
After five years, David Madlener and EC-KAC are parting ways. The "Red Jackets" have not offered the 29-year-old goaltender a contract extension. Madlener had played in Klagenfurt since 2016 and won two league titles. He took to the ice in a total of 119 games, but only eleven last season.
His save percentage of 89,0 per cent was the weakest during his time at KAC as Sebastian Dahm's backup. Overall, he has recorded 58 wins (including 18 shutouts) against 56 losses, with a save percentage of 91,11 per cent. A return to Dornbirner EC, where the 23-time ÖEHV national team goaltender played before his time at KAC, is now a possibility.
"Over the past seasons, we have gradually increased the Austrian contingent in our squad and have been very successful in doing so. We will continue along this path, but in a second phase we also want to rejuvenate the team and increase the number of homegrown players. This also applies to the goaltending position, where we want to make room behind our number one, Sebastian Dahm, for emerging athletes," General Manager Oliver Pilloni explains the decision.
