The new young guns

For Marco Rossi, Thimo Nickl and Benjamin Baumgartner, a dream has naturally come true. However, this is only meant to be the beginning. We take a closer look at the rookies – here are Austria's ice hockey prospects!

Rossi lands in the top 10

Even before the draft, Rossi from Vorarlberg was considered one of the most promising talents in this draft class. The Minnesota Wild secured the centre with the ninth pick. This makes him the highest-drafted Austrian since Thomas Vanek. Thanks to his strong performances in the Ontario Hockey League, where last season he won, among other honours, the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy for the highest-scoring player and the Red Tilson Trophy as the most valuable player (MVP), he was high on the list for many scouts.

As a top-10 pick, he will certainly get some ice time in the National Hockey League next season. However, the Wild are unlikely to have much to do with the Stanley Cup. The best sports betting providers such as bwin, which performed very well in comparison with a rating of 84/100, see teams such as the Colorado Avalanche, with odds of 9,00 (as of 23.10. ), as the top favourites. Who knows, perhaps Rossi will still have an impact on the play-off race in his very first season.

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A post shared by Marco Rossi (@marcorossi.23) on Mar 14, 2020 at 11:06 PDT

Nickl goes to the Anaheim Ducks

It was then a while before the next Austrian talent was selected. Nickl was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the fourth round. The Klagenfurt-born defenceman also took the Canadian route to the NHL. He was one of the key contributors to Austria's U20 World Championship title last year.

It will be interesting to see how Ducks coach Dallas Eakins plans to use the Austrian. With Anaheim also highly unlikely to make the play-offs next season, the coach could place greater emphasis on developing young talent. That would certainly benefit Nickl as well.

Austria's Player of the Year heads to New Jersey

Benjamin Baumgartner's selection set a record. Never before had three Austrians been picked in the NHL Entry Draft. In the sixth round, the New Jersey Devils used their pick on Austria's Player of the Year 2019. Unlike the other two picks, Baumgartner caught the attention of NHL scouts through his performances for HC Davos.

Last season, he scored 27 points for the Swiss side in 37 games. At the U20 World Championship, he was also an important point producer on the way to the gold medal. Thanks to his wide-ranging skill set, he will certainly be able to establish himself in the NHL too.

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A post shared by Benjamin Baumgartner (@bennybaumgartner_98) on Oct 9, 2020 at 9:53 PDT

Austria's ice hockey officials are delighted

The historic draft night was naturally a particular source of joy for those responsible at the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation. ÖEHV President Klaus Hartmann was among the first to send his congratulations across the Atlantic: "The fact that three Austrians were selected by NHL teams is historic. All three have achieved their first goal, allowing them to continue pursuing their dream of the NHL. I wish Marco, Thimo and Benjamin all the best at their next stops, so that their NHL dream soon becomes reality", he is quoted in the Ice Hockey Magazine quoted.

In any case, Austrian ice hockey appears to be entering a golden age. Three new NHL players and outstanding talent development give Austrian ice hockey fans reason to dream.