World Cham­pi­onship prepa­ra­tion: U20 aiming to impress with fast, feisty hockey

“The World Championship is very evenly balanced. We can beat anyone, but we can also lose to anyone,” Philipp Pinter makes clear. From the Villach native’s perspective, it will therefore be important to remain focused on the next game at all times.

26 players and three goaltenders have been assembled in the Lower Austrian capital since Sunday. “We wanted to give everyone another opportunity to prove themselves. We have depth in the line-up, regardless of who is in which line. The players know our philosophy and what we are looking for. We can move forward at a good pace,” Philipp Pinter says of his players.

ÖEHV Sporting Director Roger Bader will also be on site in the coming days, including for Thursday’s friendly against Hungary. Despite the Österreich-Cup taking place in Klagenfurt next week at the same time as the World Championship, Bader and Pinter will remain in daily contact throughout the tournament. “A week of preparation with one friendly, followed directly by the World Championship – this preparation for a World Championship Division IA has proven successful. The friendly is about making the right squad decisions. At the same time, we need to continue refining the team tactics that we have already worked on during the summer and the November break. We always pursue two objectives at a World Championship: performance and result. I am convinced that, in terms of performance, we will see an excellent, hard-fighting Austrian team. And if that is the case, we can also reach the medal positions. The team is certainly capable of competing for the top 3 places,” says Sporting Director Roger Bader.

Following Thursday’s friendly against Hungary in Budapest, the squad will be reduced to 20 skaters. Austria will then face Japan in the opening game in the Hungarian capital on Sunday.

Head Coach Philipp Pinter: “We already have a good idea of a potential World Championship squad. Now it is about finding the right mix once again, including in the line combinations.”

U20 national team World Championship preparation

3–8 December 2023, St. Pölten

Friendly: Hungary vs. Austria
Thu, 7 December 2023, 16:30, Budapest, free admission

U20 World Championship Division IA, Budapest (HUN)

Japan vs. Austria
Sun, 10 December 2023, 19:30

Austria vs. Hungary
Mon, 11 December 2023, 19:30

Austria vs. Denmark
Wed, 13 December 2023, 19:30

France vs. Austria
Thu, 14 December 2023, 16:00

Austria vs Kazakhstan
Sat., 16 December 2023, 19:30

Squad