After the season is of course already before the next season. Despite the exciting spring that the Wolves were able to experience, planning for the future of HC Falkensteiner Pustertal has continued. Be it away from the ice surface or for what is happening on the ice, decisions always have to be made or at least the course is set for them.
Already under contract
As already known, the two trainers Jason Jaspers and Kohl Schultz have signed a contract that is valid for two more seasons. Daniel Glira has a current contract and remains with the HCP. The ever-toxic striker JC Lipon also has another year of contract (28 scorer points). Alan Lobis was extended for another 3 years during the season.
They are joined by another striker, Alex Ierullo. The Italian-Canadian suffered an injury at unfortunately the worst time of the season that put him out of action. Now he is entering his second year of contract in Bruneck and is attacking again.
Top keeper remains
Eddie Pasquale has of course made a huge contribution to the success of the last two seasons. The Canadian Olympic goalie from 2022 not only feels comfortable in Bruneck, but is also considered an important building block in a hungry, ambitious Wolves team. HC Falkensteiner Pustertal and the Wölfe family are looking forward to another season with the super goalie.
Continuity is given to the defense not only by “perennial favorite” Glira, but also by the retention of Markus Lauridsen and Austin Osmanski. The latter was able to improve again in the 2025/26 season and became more and more of a rock in the surf in close games. Osmanski blocks shots, displaces water and puts himself completely at the service of the team.
An agreement was reached early with Markus Lauridsen. The Danish national player will have played at least 80 matches (HCP, Olympics, World Cup) at a high level by 2025/26 and has met all expectations with class and experience.
With Glira, Osmanski and Lauridsen – in conjunction with goalie Pasquale – the back line already has a good amount of routine and class, so it’s now a matter of finding the right mix.
Austin Rueschhoff will remain at HC Falkensteiner Pustertal, as will Henry Bowlby and Cole Bardreau. The extension of the contracts with these strikers can be seen as a clear statement: last year’s participation in the final should not have been an “outlier to the top”, the basic structure of the strong-character team remains intact.
Good hand
Patrick Bona showed a good hand with his signings last summer; the coaching staff united the different types of players into a homogeneous unit. The team managed to add speed and talent with Bowlby, robustness and goal threat with Rueschhoff, and playfulness and fighting spirit with Bardreau. And last but not least, a look at the impressive numbers for this trio is enough: all 3 players together only missed 10 games (all in the regular season, by the way) and in the total of 173 appearances only 134 penalty minutes were produced, but they produced 132 scorer points.
Sports director Patrick Bona: “We are very happy that we have managed to retain the core of foreign top performers. We are convinced of the qualities of the boys and have therefore extended their contracts before the playoffs. The playoffs have once again encouraged us to take this step and provided confirmation that this was the right decision. All six players are hungry for more and are not satisfied with what they have achieved in the past season. They will continue to carry this spirit into the team and move forward as leaders.”
Head Coach Jason Jaspers: “It was very important for us from the start to bring back as many boys as possible. With the extensions of these six top performers, we have managed to keep last year’s team together, which we are extremely pleased about! We are convinced that all six still have a lot left in the tank and some have not yet reached their full potential. This group is the key to success if we want to complete our path. I can hardly wait to get back to work with them and our entire team.”
Further additions and departures will be communicated promptly. For now, the 2026/27 HCP squad looks like this:
Goal:
Eddie Pasquale
Defense:
Daniel Glira, Markus Lauridsen, Austin Osmanski
Storm:
Cole Bardreau, Henry Bowlby, Austin Rueschhoff, Alex Ierullo, Alan Lobis, JC Lipon
hcpustertal.com Image: Domen Jancic
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