National team is already testing for the Olympic Games / Hager: “Three big problems in front of us” / Sturm: “Perfect challenge for us” / 21 players with NHL experience: Team USA is the favorite
The German national ice hockey team is entering its 28th edition with a healthy mix of veterans and “young wild ones”. Deutschland Cups (November 10th – 12th). The traditional four-nation tournament in Augsburg's Curt Frenzel Stadium is better attended this year than it has been for a long time. With record world champions Russia (Friday, 19.30:16 p.m.), Slovakia (Saturday, 16.45 p.m.) and Team USA (Sunday, 1:XNUMX p.m., all games live on SPORTXNUMX). DEB-Select three top-class opponents ahead.
“Just like us, all teams are already testing for the Olympic Games in February, so they are coming to Augsburg with the best possible squad. The spectators can look forward to fast and technically adept ice hockey,” said national coach Marco Sturm, who has appointed 28 players (three goalkeepers, ten defensemen and 15 strikers) to his squad.
Two newcomers are also there: With Stefan Loibl (21) and Andreas Eder (21), Sturm is once again relying on debutants - and quite deliberately. "I've been able to watch them several times during the season. They are among the best players of their year and have earned a nomination through good performances at their DEL clubs," said the national coach. The "young wild ones" are completed by Düsseldorf's Maximilian Kammerer (21), who was able to play his first two international matches last season.
The German young talent hopefuls should be led primarily by the experienced ones. Yannic Seidenberg (144 international matches), Marcus Kink (126), Patrick Hager (120) and Moritz Müller (119) have the most experience in the current squad. “Augsburg is an ice hockey city and for that Deutschland Cup “An ideal venue,” says Munich’s Patrick Hager, looking forward to the upcoming encounters in the “CFS”: “We have three big challenges ahead of us. With the support of our Fans But we want to achieve the greatest possible success.”
Team USA in particular is likely to be the favorite to win the tournament. 21 players from the guests from North America alone have NHL experience. Above all, they can rely on Brian Gionta Fans in Augsburg. The striker played 1.118 games in his NHL career. The US team also has two NHL legends, Tony Granato and Chris Chelios.
“All the opposing squads are top-class. But that’s exactly the perfect challenge for us,” said Sturm, referring to the Olympic Games in South Korea. “We’ll be up against similarly strong opponents there, so it’s good that my team can get used to the high tempo.”
All information about Deutschland Cup there is here