German selection starting today in the Czech Republic / national coach Marco Sturm: “There’s not much time left”
One has seven World Championships, two participations in the Olympic Games and 699 NHL games under his belt, the others are still “green” behind the ears: while long-time NHL star Marcel Goc is celebrating his comeback on the international stage after three years of absence , stands for the trio Felix Bick, Marcel Brandt (both Düsseldorfer EG) and Simon Danner (Schwenninger Wild Wings) will make his debut in the national team.
However, it will not be an easy start for anyone in the German selection, neither for the debutants nor for the established forces. Before the two matches against the Czech Republic (April 6th/April 8th, both at 18 p.m.) as part of the Euro Hockey Challenge, national coach Marco Sturm made it clear: "There is not much time left, so we will approach the units with the necessary intensity right from the start."
In addition to the two games against the hosts, there are five sessions in Usti nad Labem on the program. The troop doesn't return home until Saturday morning. Then phase 2 is on the program from April 12th.
In total, Sturm has nominated three goalkeepers, eight defenders and 24 strikers in his 13-man squad for the first two duels with the six-time world champion and 1998 Olympic champion. The Adler Mannheim currently represent the largest contingent of players with a total of eight appointments.
“I'm happy that it's finally starting. For the players who missed the playoffs with their clubs or were recently eliminated, the first preparation phase is particularly important in order to get back into the rhythm of training and playing after a long break,” said Sturm, whose team completed the first session in the evening .
For the trainers in the Czech Republic, one of the things that matters is internalizing the system. “With the system that we coaches have in mind, the players have to do a lot of running work in addition to the tactical orientation. “It doesn’t happen all at once,” said Sturm, who can count on Christian Künast and Steffen Ziesche on the coaching staff this week. “But there will still be slight changes,” said Sturm.