Theresa Schafzahl: "The details make the difference"

ÖEHV: The women’s national team have had some intense months behind them. What is the mood like within the team?

Theresa Schafzahl: Many players had not seen each other for quite some time before the most recent camp in Klagenfurt, so there was great anticipation. Over the past year, we have experienced highs and lows as a group, and learned a great deal from them. Going through that journey together has brought us even closer.

ÖEHV has brought in Gina Kingsbury, one of the most experienced figures in international women’s ice hockey, as its new sporting director. What is your impression of her?

I already knew Gina a little from her work as sporting director in Toronto. She is a big name and has a great deal of experience – that is very valuable for us. It is not an easy situation for her: she is in a country she does not yet know well and first has to find out how everything works here. Nevertheless, it is already working very well, and I am convinced it will get even better. The other new members of the coaching staff have also impressed us: they are personable, have an enormous amount of experience and can communicate it well.

You have extended your contract with Seattle Torrent in the PWHL, the best league in the world, by two years. How did you experience that process?

Following my move from Boston to Seattle during the course of last season, things went very well, so I naturally hoped the extension would work out. With the league expanding by four teams, we players had more room to negotiate, and as a free agent many doors were open to me. However, that very freedom makes the decision difficult because there are so many unknowns. It is all the nicer that everything has now been finalised and I can focus on other things.

Speaking more generally, does the chemistry at club level differ from that in the national team?

That depends greatly on the club. In North America, the team is put together anew every year, whereas in Europe many players play together over a long period. In the national team, some of us have known each other for many years. We have many young players in the squad, but most players of the same age have been playing together for ages, and many of the younger ones have also been involved for several years. That familiarity is something special which does not exist in the same way in North America.

At 26 years of age, you are regarded as one of the team’s leaders. How do you approach that role?

I want to lead by example on the ice – especially now in the Top Division, where the hockey played is very different from what we are used to. In North America, I have learned to play with high intensity in every training session and to pay attention to every detail. I want to bring that into the team so that we can raise our level as a team and do the little things better. At this level, those are precisely what make the difference.

You have already alluded to the difference between the Top Division and Division IA. What can the team expect at the World Championship?

The step up is enormous – although there are also major differences in quality within the Top Division. The gap between the USA and teams such as Germany or Japan may even be greater than that between those teams and Division IA. Generally speaking, the game is faster, more direct and more physical. The rules are the same, but most Top Division players are based in Sweden or North America, where physical play is permitted. I therefore expect the officials to let more go at the World Championship. Then there is the depth of the squad: in Division IA, teams usually have one or two strong lines, while the others primarily work defensively. Czechia or the USA can have every line decide a game.

Is there a particular moment at the World Championship that you are especially looking forward to?

This may sound unusual, but: the new jerseys. Teams in the Top Division receive jerseys that look better and are of higher quality. I am looking forward to the moment when we put them on together for the first game – we will look truly professional.

Which opponent are you most looking forward to facing?

Definitely the game against the USA. They are currently by far the strongest team in the world, so we face an extremely difficult task at a completely different level. That makes me all the more excited about it – especially as I now know some of their players personally.

To finish: how do you assess the team’s chances, and what goals are you setting for the World Championship?

Naturally, we want to reach the quarter-finals, and that should be our objective. Our group is strong, with Germany and Switzerland, for example, who have performed very well recently and won Olympic bronze. However, fourth place in the group is by no means impossible and should be our first objective. If we do not make the quarter-finals, the aim will be to stay in the division.