The national coach visits many locations together with U20 coach Christian Künast
Marco Sturm smiled. “I’m actually quite fit,” said the national coach during a press conference at the game last night Hamburg Freezers against runners-up ERC Ingolstadt. Considering the travel stress, this is a small miracle. Sturm landed in Düsseldorf on Friday morning after a nine-hour flight from his home in Florida, where he was met by U20 national coach Christian Künast and drove the 450 kilometers to Hamburg where he not only answered questions from journalists before the game, but also spoke afterwards with those responsible and players from both teams.
This appointment rush is not an exception. The general manager and national coach explained that his plan would hardly change in the coming days and weeks. “Christian Künast and I will be in Nuremberg on Sunday. Next weekend I'm going to Wolfsburg and Düsseldorf." During the week there are also appointments in Munich and Mannheim on the agenda. Sturm: “Of course there is a lot to do, but I was aware of that. I want to be in front of that Deutschland Cup in Augsburg at the beginning of November to gather as much information as possible.”
Sturm doesn't just get his impressions in the DEL. Together with Christian Künast, he is also at a DNL game on Saturday evening to take a closer look at the young talent. This is exactly what needs to be developed further. “We just don’t have the breadth of players at the moment. We should urgently start here.” U20 national coach Künast was already in Duisburg, Herne and Essen last week to hold discussions and initiate initial concepts. Künast is also “eating up” kilometers on Germany’s motorways: “Next week it will slow down for two days, among other things Berlin. The direct line to the trainers and those responsible is very important to me.”
Künast and Sturm are in constant communication about the young talent anyway. A fact that is essential, because in December the U20 wants to make it clear that they will be promoted back to the world elite at the World Cup Div I. Künast: “It will be damn difficult and a huge challenge.” Another reason why national coach Sturm will be seen in the ice rinks in North America after his return. “When I'm back in Florida, I'm definitely not just sitting on the couch. I will also visit our NHL professionals and youth players there.”
You can tell that the two coaches are developing a certain euphoria when it comes to German ice hockey - and about moving it forward. The commitment of the coaching duo is unmistakable. Sturm was recently a little surprised by a misleading public statement that he would hold the DEL professional league “accountable”. Sturm shakes his head: “On the contrary. DEL and DEB sitting in a boat. This support actually helps us a lot.”