The U16 national team of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB) played its first international matches of the new season last week. In Romanshorn (SUI), the DEB-Selection of the national teams from Austria, Switzerland and Slovakia.
As head coach of the U16 national team, Florian Ondruschka (DEB Head Coach Talent/Club Support) the management behind the bench, as U16 national coach Robin Beckers had returned home to his family at short notice due to the birth of his first child and was delighted to welcome his first Young Talent – congratulations!
To kick off the Four Nations Tournament The German team got off to a perfect start. In a close and exciting match, the final score was 2:1 against the host team from Switzerland. In the second meeting with Austria, the DEBThe German team initially fell behind by three goals, but then fought back. However, in the end, the German team was unable to turn the game around.
At the end of the tournament, the U16 national team lost to Slovakia 1:4. After an even opening period, the Slovaks pulled away with three goals in the second period, even though the DEB-selection scored once. An early goal conceded shortly after the restart in the final period sealed the final score. Thus, the first international fixture of the season ended with one win and two losses.
Florian Ondruschka with his conclusion on the training camp in Romanshorn: "We quickly became a unit, which isn't something to be taken for granted during the first training camp. The way the group performed on and off the ice even exceeded our expectations. This is a positive aspect that will certainly help us throughout the season. Overall, we performed well in the tournament games, but we also saw room for improvement and potential for further development – but this, too, was within our expectations after the screening. There were some shortcomings, especially in the build-up play and in the defensive zone. However, we already noticed the first learning effects during the tournament, which we can build on in the next training camps."
Schedule of the German U16 team (Four Nations Tournament in Romanshorn)
20.08.2025 | Switzerland – Germany 1:2 (0:1, 1:0, 0:1)
21.08.2025 | Austria – Germany 5:3 (3:0, 1:1, 1:2)
22.08.2025 | Germany – Slovakia 1:4 (0:0, 1:3, 0:1)