Season opener for Anna Meixner and Theresa Schafzahl in the PWHL

Are you happy that the regular season finally starts this week?
Anna Meixner: “Yes, I am very happy that the season is starting now. I had a wonderful long summer at home in Zell am See, but I have really been counting down the days until it finally gets underway.”
Theresa Schafzahl: “I am also very happy that the regular season is starting now. We have had an incredibly long off-season. I think it has been almost six months since we last played a league game, and personally I have not played a game with the national team either. It has been a long time since I was able to play a real game. Of course, you work hard all summer in off-season training, often alone in the weight room and on the ice. That makes you really look forward to being back on the ice with the whole team and playing a real game. That is what you work towards all summer.”

What are your expectations for the season?
Theresa Schafzahl: “I expect us to have a strong team. We have added a lot of good new players through the draft and free agency. As in previous years, there will again be tough competition among the players, but I believe I am very well prepared and will hopefully be able to take on a good role. As a team, I expect us to hopefully be better than last year, create more offensively and not have to rely so heavily on our goaltenders. It will be another very difficult season. All the teams are good and there will be close games. The expectation is that we make the playoffs.”
Anna Meixner: “Above all, I am going into the new season with high expectations of myself. I want to prove myself and establish myself in the league, show my best hockey, and then hopefully it will be a successful season.”

What did you focus on in off-season training, and how has that already shown in preparation?
Anna Meixner: “I have not changed much in my programme. I already have a routine, having been able to do this for a few years now. I focused on spending a lot of time on the ice and building muscle mass. I feel well prepared. The first days of training camp were tough, but very successful.”
Theresa Schafzahl: “There was no particular focus in off-season training. I make sure I am as well prepared as possible in every area. Physical preparation is, of course, very important. The game is incredibly fast and physical. That is why I tried to keep working on my strength and speed. And, of course, endurance is always important. Unfortunately, I have repeatedly struggled with knee problems in recent years. I tried to prepare as well as possible in that regard, so that it will hopefully not limit me during the season. On the ice, preparation was wide-ranging. You try to work on all technical skills: shooting, stickhandling and skating technique, while also making sure you can make decisions more quickly.”

Theresa, you are entering your third full PWHL season, while Anna is entering her second. To what extent does the fact that not everything is new any more make everyday life easier for you?
Theresa Schafzahl: “It definitely makes things easier. I know the league well and I know all the staff on our team. If I have questions, I know who to go to. I know all the processes, and it is certainly an advantage that everything is already familiar. I see the biggest advantage in the fact that I have already played quite a few games in the league. I know how the game is structured, so to speak, what works in the league and what does not, and I was able to prepare specifically for that over the summer.”
Anna Meixner: “I think it makes a huge difference for me that this is my second year. I am starting the season with a completely different feeling. Last year, the nerves did play a part. I did not really know the people yet, the area or the arena. This year, it was a chance for me to take a breath. I was happy to see everyone, I know the arena and I know how training works. So everything is a little more relaxed, and I think that really does me good. I am simply trying to give my best every day, and hopefully something good will come of it for me in the end.”

What awaits you in the coming season? How strong do you consider the league to be at the moment?
Anna Meixner: “I think the league is very strong. The pace in training is unbelievably high, every player is simply extremely good. This year, there are two new teams in Vancouver and Seattle. It will be a tough battle. Last year, the playoffs were only decided in the final game of the regular season. I think it will be the same this year. That is the cool thing: anyone can beat anyone and you can expect a tough game.”
Theresa Schafzahl: “I think the league will be incredibly strong. Some more players from Europe have joined, as have many good players from college. I think it will be very interesting to see how the two new teams establish themselves in the league. In terms of their rosters alone, the two new teams are really very strong. But I think it will be as it has been over the past two years, with anyone able to beat anyone. It will be an exciting season.”

What would make the 2025/26 season a successful one for you at the end?
Theresa Schafzahl: “I would say if we reach the playoffs as a team and then put together one or two good playoff series and hopefully can win the championship. Personally, if I can find a good role within the team in which I can contribute a lot to the game, consistently get plenty of ice time, contribute more offensively, hopefully pick up a few goals and assists, and help the team in every respect.”
Anna Meixner: “For me, if I can say that I have improved, that I have established myself in the league and that I was able to show what I can do. The most important thing is to have fun and stay injury-free.”