DEBSports director Christian Künast has just completed his annual trip to North America and has brought back a wealth of knowledge from his discussions with German NHL players and club officials. There is no break, however, as the 54-year-old is preparing for the upcoming major events for the national teams in March. In April and May, the German national team will be competing in three World Championships. DEBteams – and he also keeps an eye on the playoffs. In the interview, Künast talks about the upcoming challenges of this intensive season for the DEB.
Christian, national coach Harold Kreis and you have just completed your NHL trip. What did you take away from your days in North America?
Christian Künast: "Basically, we have noticed an extremely positive attitude towards the national team. If possible, all German athletes want to play for Germany in tournaments. Of course, there are always general conditions that have to be right for participation in a World Cup, for example, to work. Overall, the discussions were positive and we noticed a great deal of gratitude that we were there in person and sought direct exchange."
To what extent do you find out something that concerns the players personally and how trusting are the conversations with the German NHL players?
Christian Künast: "We naturally find out a lot of individual things, because the starting positions for most players and their clubs are different. Let's take Nico Sturm as an example. In our conversation, he indicated to us that the trade would happen and that he would still like to come to the World Cup. Now he plays for the Florida Panthers, an absolute title favorite, and it is likely that they will go far. For us, that means that participation in the World Cup is probably unlikely in this case. And so there is one thing or another about every player that we find out in the conversations. It's about ice times, the situations in the teams, contractual matters and personal matters. We are pleased that we see a great deal of openness towards us."
In addition to the national players, you usually also meet people in charge of the clubs and leagues. What do you take away from this?
Christian Künast: "We met all the important contacts that we had on our list and overall we had a very interesting exchange. The clubs notice us and make an effort to receive us accordingly. Our trip started in Tampa, where we wanted to meet Philipp Grubauer during the game against Seattle, although Grubauer was playing in the AHL at the time. Nevertheless, the people in charge at the Tampa Bay Lightning looked after us for three days and arranged appointments with the coaching staff and the general manager. These are valuable insights and a mutual exchange that advances our association work. We speak openly about international events such as the World Cup or the Winter Olympics. We also receive information about how the North American associations such as Hockey Canada or USA Hockey work.
As already mentioned, in addition to the World Championships, the 2026 Olympics were also a topic in discussions with the players. What was the response to this?
Christian Künast: "We have discussed all the general conditions and dates that we currently know about with the players. They have also received this information in writing. All the players are really looking forward to the Olympics. Especially since it will be a very strong tournament in terms of the individual teams. Everyone wants to come with the best."
You are now back in Germany and basically only have a few weeks until the World Championships for the women, the U18 team and the men start again at full intensity. How do you view this workload?
Christian Künast: "I'm used to traveling and see it as a privilege. There are still a few events to be held after the end of the main rounds in the leagues, and today a three-day IIHF meeting starts, which I'm attending. Then we have the national coaches' conference on the agenda, before another office week in March. Then the tournaments start. That's always an intensive and exciting phase, which I personally look forward to. When that's over, I'm also happy to have a short breather so that I can start planning the new season again."
The women start first DEBteam in their World Cup. Will the tournament be a special challenge, especially after such an outstanding success as the Olympic qualification?
Christian Künast: "I think that's exactly the biggest challenge after such an emotional highlight as qualifying for the Olympics. We have to get over it and therefore we can't be satisfied. We want to take the next step and that won't be easy. But this is exactly the change that began ten years ago with Marco Sturm in German ice hockey. It's about never being satisfied, but always taking the next step and giving everything for it."
Then comes the U18 World Cup, which takes place in the USA. DEBselection is back in the best World Cup group, and it is also the last measure of national coach Patrick Reimer. How do you look ahead to this tournament?
Christian Künast: "Our main focus at the moment is finding a successor for Patrick Reimer, who is leaving us after the World Cup. This U18 World Cup will be a special event - during the preparation, various tests (on and off ice) will be carried out with the potential prospects of the NHL draft as part of an agreement between USA Hockey, IIHF, NHL and the participating associations. We hope that this will give us clear insights into where the players stand in comparison and what skills they have. In purely sporting terms, it will be a difficult tournament for us. We are newly promoted and are facing absolutely top nations. We know that we are not yet at that level of development in the U18 area. So in my view it will be a success if we stay in the league."
ParaThe men's World Cup preparations are also just getting underway. What is the current state of affairs here?
Christian Künast: “We have noticed that ticket sales for our four home international matches have been very good so far. We are very pleased about this because it means a lot to the team to be able to Fans to make the finishing touches for the upcoming World Cup. Ultimately, as always, it is a matter of finding the optimal squad for the tournament."
In addition to the planning for the World Championships, the playoffs are underway in all leagues. How much of that are you still aware of?
Christian Künast: “I watch a lot of games on TV or live stream. DEB-From a sports perspective, the playoffs in our association's own leagues, such as the Oberliga or the finals of the blossom-ic DFEL are of course a highlight. I will of course be watching these. Of course, I also look at one or two statistics in this phase of the season, as there are always exciting findings. I am a big sports fan and simply like to follow the hot phase of the season."