From January 14th to 16th, 2019, Top Team Beijing - a promising team that will provide young German players with match practice and competitive experience in international ice hockey with a view to the 2022 Olympic Games - met for the first time as part of a training event in Dingolfing. For Toni Söderholm it was the first time in his new role as national coach. We then spoke to the friendly Finn about the measure itself and future goals.
Turbulent weeks lie behind you, Toni. First the U20 World Cup, then the new position as national coach. Almost 3,5 weeks later, your first job as national coach started here in Dingolfing. How did you spend the time leading up to the U24/U25 camp?
Toni Söderholm: In the meantime, I first got an overall overview and exchanged ideas with numerous sporting directors. We have to create a collaboration in which the player receives coaching from both sides. It was important to me to recognize our current situation and, in particular, the team's strengths.
As part of this, preparations for the first measure were also underway. How did you experience the last few days in Dingolfing?
We had great conditions here in Dingolfing – both on and off the ice. It was important to see the boys on the ice. Right now you know what you have been preparing for over the past few weeks. The boys came with smiles on their faces. They were full of energy, trained great and implemented many of the things on the ice that we had previously discussed. However, there is of course still a lot to be done.
What did the three days of measures look like in detail?
We were on the ice a total of four times and trained there together. Before each day of training there were team meetings about the system and future prospects as well as short individual discussions with some players. Furthermore, Karl Schwarzenbrunner (DEB-Federal Coach for Science and Training) conducted daily athletic training with the boys.
How do you assess the importance of Top Team Beijing as a promising team for the 2022 Olympic Games?
This team is incredibly important. For the boys it is the chance to prove themselves and show their worth for the national team at an early stage. No matter when the time comes, the boys will be prepared because they have already gotten to know us as a coaching team as part of the measures with the Top Team Beijing and have worked with us on the ice. Furthermore, the players also get to know each other during these camps, which is of course also a significant advantage in later tournaments with the national team.
What are your plans for the coming weeks?
Now we need to conduct a comprehensive video analysis of the camp. The aim here is to gain initial insights and use them for the international matches against Switzerland in February. I'm looking forward to the games in Memmingen and Bietigheim. Afterwards I will get in touch with more and more players. This will be followed by a trip overseas in March to visit and speak to our NHL players on site.