After the two test matches against Latvia in the first week of preparation for the 2026 World Cup, a total of twelve new players will join the national team on Sunday for the second week and the game against Italy in Feldkirch.
In addition, head coach Roger Bader is increasing the squad from 21 to 25 field players and has already included the presumed goalkeeper trio for the World Cup with David Kickert, Atte Tolvanen and Florian Vorauer. The game against Italy next Thursday at 7:00 p.m. will be broadcast live on ORF SPORT +, tickets are available via the ÖEHV ticket shop.
“The early exit of EC Red Bull Salzburg and EC-KAC means that we have numerous World Cup candidates available to us at an early stage. We can therefore increase the squad to five blocks in the second week of World Cup preparation,” explains head coach Roger Bader, who emphasizes that there is no fixed ticket for the World Cup for anyone: “Everyone has to prove themselves and show that they belong in the World Cup team, regardless of whether they have already played a World Cup or not.”
The Swiss expects the young players in particular to step on the gas and fight for their place. The national team is expected to come together in this formation in the third week of preparation when they host the Czech Republic in Vienna. Depending on how the final in the win2day ICE Hockey League between the Moser Medical Graz99ers and the HC Falkensteiner Pustertal goes, the other World Cup candidates from the 99ers will not join the national team until the fourth week at the earliest.
“There probably won’t be any big changes from Feldkirch to Vienna,” confirms Roger Bader. Against Italy, the head coach expects “that we play a good game and that the players fight to qualify for the second phase, which starts from Camp #4.”
Squad World Cup Preparation Camp #2
www.ice.hockey, image: ÖEHV/Bernd Stefan
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