At the age of only 21, Matthias Mader already has international experience from North America. The Lower Austrian, who completed his training at the Canadian International Hockey Academy (CIHA) and played in the USA in the USPHL and the NCDC, is now returning to Austria.
Earlier step abroad
Already at the age of 15, Mader dared to jump to Canada, inspired by Luca Erne, who also trained on the Ciha and was finally active with the Pioneers. “It said: school, ice hockey and then live. If the school does not fit, it won’t work on the ice,” Mader describes the clearly structured everyday life in the academy towards the Vorarlberger Nachrichten.
In Rockland at Ottawa, he trained on NHL-sized ice surfaces, combined with school lessons, athletic units, video analyzes and seminars on topics such as nutrition and mental strength. “You learn to solve problems yourself. This brings you further as a person and player,” he emphasizes in retrospect.
Strong impression in the USA
After three years in Canada, Mader moved to the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) before prevailing in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), the highly class division of the league. For the Minnesota Moose, he booked impressive 32 points as a defender in 38 games in the 2023/24 season.
Return to Austria
Now the 21-year-old takes the step into the professional business. “I had a good year in America, but I didn’t want to go to college. Feldkirch is a great place to come back to Austria,” says Mader. He clearly formulates his goals: “Personally, I want to develop every day and play a lot. We hope for a good year with the team.”
