Marco Kasper named Player of the Year for the second time
After 2022, Marco Kasper has been named “Player of the Year” for the second time in his still young career. The 21-year-old completed his first full NHL season in 2024/2025, recording 19 goals and 18 assists. At the 2025 World Championship in Stockholm, the centre played a key role in the historic run to the quarter-finals, scoring four goals and adding three assists during the tournament. In the current NHL season, he added another goal to his tally in just the second game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
2 min read
He ended his first barren spell at the end of October with a brace against the LA Kings, before having to be patient again. It was not until January that he scored what was then his fourth goal of the season. “When things are not going well offensively, it is difficult,” he says openly about that period. Hard, consistent work and the support of his family, coaches and team-mates helped him grow through it. Most recently, he played a key part in the 4:2 win over the Nashville Predators with two assists.
The clear objective for this season: “We have not been in the playoffs for a while and we are hungry.” Should they miss out, or be eliminated early afterwards, the World Championship in Switzerland this year would again be an option for him.
Rohrer and Rossi complete the podium
Since 2025, Vinzenz Rohrer has been able to call himself a two-time Swiss champion and Champions Hockey League winner. Like Marco Kasper, he also made his mark at the 2025 World Championship, before taking the leap across the Atlantic to the Montreal Canadiens. He returned to the ZSC Lions in Switzerland for the current season, but his motivation to play in the NHL one day appears to have increased: “I now have another development year in Zurich, will try to take on a bigger role here and play a lot, and then I want to make another push next year.”
With 24 goals and 36 assists, fellow Austrian Marco Rossi became the Minnesota Wild’s second-highest scorer in the 2024/2025 season. The reward was a three-year contract worth $ 15 million. A lower-body injury set him back in November, forcing him to miss several weeks. During that time, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks. The Canadians had been interested in Rossi for some time. They are currently well outside the playoff places, meaning a World Championship appearance cannot be ruled out.
Top 10
1st Marco Kasper – 78 points
2nd Vinzenz Rohrer – 52 points
3rd Marco Rossi – 38 points
4th Theresa Schafzahl – 14 points
5th Anna Meixner – 9 points
6th Annika Fazokas – 7 points
7th David Kickert – 6 points
8th Dominic Zwerger – 3 points
9th Peter Schneider – 2 points
10th Michael Raffl – 2 points
