Roger Bader remains sporting director and men’s team head coach until 2028

Roger Bader has been with ÖEHV since 2014, joining as head of development, becoming sporting director in 2017 and also taking over as head coach of the senior national team at the end of 2016. This makes him one of the longest-serving current head coaches at ÖEHV.

Under his leadership, promotion to the Top Division was secured in 2017. At the respective World Championships in Denmark in 2018, as well as in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, Austria retained its place in the Top Division. Last year, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in more than 30 years marked one of the greatest successes in the federation’s history, and the team was subsequently named Team of the Year at the LOTTERIEN-Sporthilfe Gala.

“Never change a running system,” states ÖEHV President Klaus Hartmann. “Roger Bader has taken the national team to a new level, with great passion and expertise. The successes of recent years are historic. Roger Bader is one of the most successful coaches in ÖEHV history, and we are delighted to extend our collaboration with him ahead of schedule until 2028. In his role as sporting director, he is also a knowledgeable and experienced adviser to the executive committee, which greatly values its collaboration with him.”

“Austrian ice hockey has made great strides over the past ten years. My goal is to continue this development,” explains Roger Bader, who also directly defines the goals for the next two years: “We want to perform again at the upcoming World Championship. Staying in the Top Division remains the top priority. Once we have achieved this goal, we will look to the next one. We are also aiming to qualify successfully for the 2030 Olympic Games in the summer of 2028.”

In order to achieve these goals, the sporting director and head coach highlights, among other things, the importance of the current league agreement between ÖEHV and the win2day ICE Hockey League: “By reducing the number of imports, young domestic talents will ideally receive ice time and thus the opportunity to develop. This automatically has an impact on the youth national teams and, ideally, on the senior national team. Another foundation is our high-quality preparation programme. The executive committee deserves great credit for enabling us to implement this year after year and for even having Canada as guests in Vienna twice recently. I am grateful for these opportunities and greatly value both the collaboration and the exchange with the ÖEHV leadership.”

Preparations for the 2026 World Championship begin in April with a double-header against Latvia in Riga. The other opponents on the way to Zurich are Italy in Feldkirch, Czechia in Vienna and Jihlava (CZE), Germany in Zell am See and Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER), and Slovenia in Klagenfurt to conclude.

At the World Championship itself, Austria will face Great Britain, Hungary, Latvia, Switzerland, Germany, Finland and world and Olympic champions USA at Zurich’s Swiss Life Arena, home of Vinzenz Rohrer and the ZSC Lions.

Tickets for the entire World Championship preparation programme available

The past few years have brought incredible highlights that remain etched in our minds and will be remembered forever. The victory over Finland in 2024, the comeback against Canada in 2024 and, of course, reaching the quarter-finals in 2025 are just the most notable events of recent World Championship years. In Zurich (SUI), the aim is to add the next chapter to this success story. Perfect preparation is essential. From April, Austria will face Latvia, Italy, Czechia, Germany and Slovenia. Tickets for our home games are available HERE now.

World Championship preparation schedule (subject to change)
08.04, 19:00: Riga (LAT): Latvia vs. Austria
09.04, 19:00: Riga (LAT): Latvia vs. Austria
16.04, 19:00: Feldkirch: Austria vs. Italy
23.04, 19:00: Vienna: Austria vs. Czechia
24.04, 17:30: Jihlava (CZE): Czechia vs. Austria
30.04, 19:00: Zell am See: Austria vs. Germany
02.05 May, 17:00, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER): Germany vs. Austria
09.05 May, 16:20, Klagenfurt: Austria vs. Slovenia
ÖEHV Ticket Shop

2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship

15 May 2026 – 31 May 2026, Zurich and Fribourg (SUI)
Defending champions: USA
Group A, Zurich: USA, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Austria, Hungary, Great Britain
Group B, Freiburg: Canada, Sweden, Czechia, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway, Slovenia, Italy

Schedule
Great Britain vs. Austria
Sat, 16 May 2026, 12:20, Swiss Life Arena

Austria vs. Hungary
Sun, 17 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena

Latvia vs. Austria
Tue, 19 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena

Austria vs. Switzerland
Wed, 20 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena

Austria vs. Germany
Sat, 23 May 2026, 20:20, Swiss Life Arena

Finland vs. Austria
Sun, 24 May 2026, 20:20, Swiss Life Arena

USA vs. Austria
Tue, 26 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena

Ticketing
Information on World Championship ticket sales at 2026.iihfworlds.com
Link to World Championship tickets for Zurich and Fribourg 
Link to individual games involving Austria 
Link to World Championship packages including Austria games