Reducing differences in performance, easing the transition from the U18 national team to the senior national team: This is an important concern for women's national coach Christian Künast and that is why the perspective team was established as a springboard. There is no further intermediate step in women's ice hockey after U18, as there is for men, for example. Any experience that helps is even more valuable. “The senior national team is something different, you can tell,” said U18 national player Ronja Hark, “especially the pace is higher. I think the perspective team is a very good opportunity for young players.”
Between September 13th and 17th, Künast and U18 national coach Franziska Busch led the course at the federal base in Füssen. Both current U18 national players and players who are in the extended squad of the senior team took part. “There are definitely a handful of players who will make it into the squad at short notice,” stated Künast.
First on the agenda for the women were performance tests, as is usual after the summer. Afterwards we continued with the usual sessions. That meant ice training, off-ice units and video analysis. Explicit training sessions were also on the program for the goalkeepers. For national coach Christian Künast, it was nice to see development. “Everyone was very committed, it got better every day,” he said. For the 49-year-old, who has looked after the women's national team since 2019, the perspective team is one of the things “that, in my opinion, had to be created. The connection between the U18 and the national team is simply important. We want to pick up the players who are coming up and offer them a perspective. We want to broaden the entire team.”
The introduction of this intermediate level from young talent to the senior national team is also seen as positive by the players. Goalkeeper talent Sofie Disl underlined Ronja Hark's statements. “It definitely helps to get used to everything,” said the 18-year-old. In comparison to a U18 course, the perspective course “also includes a few older players, you use them as role models, but of course you mainly want to present yourself,” added Hark. Disl noted: “A few can shoot better.”
In addition to the relevance of easing the transition from young talent to adult ice hockey, Künast sees the perspective team as a very good opportunity to give his future players a feeling for their level of performance. “One or the other is closer,” emphasizes Künast, “but it is also important for the players that they know: what are the requirements in the national team, what do I have to do.”
Of course, Ronja Hark, who was named the best defender at last year's U18 World Cup, is also aiming to make it to the senior national team. “Of course I have respect for the older ones, but I think I have a chance,” said the Memmingen native quite confidently. Goalkeeper Disl also sees a chance of making it to the national team, but she knows: “I have to get better athletically to do that.”
Hark's first focus was actually on the 18 U2021 World Cup in Sweden in January, which the team and U18 national coach Busch were really looking forward to. However, the world association IIHF also saw itself this week, much to the chagrin of the DEBteams forced to cancel the tournament due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to Hark and Disl, several other players from the U18 promotion team were given the opportunity to present themselves at the course - with the hope of perhaps knocking even harder on the door to the senior national team in the near future.