It is now clear who will guard the Pinzgauer goal next season. The EK Zell am See and Alexander Schmidt agree to continue their collaboration until 2027.
Alexander Schmidt will continue to guard the goal for the Zeller Eisbären next season. Schmidt moved to Pinzgau last summer and was impressive right from the start. With a save percentage of 92.8% in 30 games, the Pinzgauers secured second place in the regular season with him between the posts.
In the ÖM final he held on to the Pinzgauer title with 93.8%. In the master round, “Ali”, as he is called by his teammates, played a significant role in ensuring that for the first time in the history of the Alps Hockey League a team was able to win all games in the master round. His catch rate of 95.7% in 10 games against the best teams in the regular season underlines his extra class.
Ali was also one of the fathers of the success in the quarter-final win against the Wipptal Broncos, but he couldn’t prevent the semi-final against the eventual champions from Val Gardena. Despite everything, Ali can look back on an excellent season with the Eisbären with a total catch rate of 93.2% over the entire season.
Alexander Schmidt is not only one of the best on the ice, but also off it. Ali is a model professional who subordinates everything to success and is also extremely popular with his teammates. His work ethic and his unbridled desire to constantly improve make him one of the most important personnel in the Eisbären squad.
CAREER
Alexander Schmidt was born on February 26, 2000 in Villach and went through the youth department of the EC VSV. After a few loans (including at Zell am See in 2019/2020), Alexander fought for a place in Villach’s fighting team and also made five international appearances for the Austrian national team. For the 2023/24 season he moved to EC Bregenzerwald in order to gain more match practice as a starting goalkeeper. After a good season in Vorarlberg, he went to the Kitzbüheler Adler in 2024/2025, with whom Alexander Schmidt won the Austrian championship in the Alps Hockey League and played a large part in the first direct playoff qualification. In 2025/26, Schmidt joined EK Zell am See and, with his performance, led head coach Marcel Rodman’s men to win the Austrian championship again and to third place in the Alps Hockey League.
DATA CHECK
Last season, Alexander was on the ice for the EKZ in 48 games for a total of 2,979 minutes, in which he had 3 shutouts. With a catch rate of 92.8% in the regular round, 95.7% in the master round and 92.4% in the playoffs, Ali was one of the best goalkeepers in the league in every phase of the season and in the final of the Austrian championship of the Alps Hockey League, Schmidt also proved to be a safe support for the Eisbären with 93.8%.
STATEMENTS
Alexander Schmidt: “Hello dear Eisbären fans! I’m really looking forward to playing in Pinzgau again next year and being part of the team. The successful season has shown me how comfortable I feel here and I’m even more looking forward to attacking together again this year and tackling new challenges with the team.”
Eisbären Managing Director Patrick Schwarz: “We are happy that we were able to agree on a further extension with Ali. Ali is a top athlete who is a 100 percent professional on the ice, but also off it. He won us many games single-handedly last season and that is why we are happy that Alexander will continue to be a part of our organization in the future. He is one of the best goalkeepers in the league and still has his best years ahead of him.”
ek-zellereisbaeren.at , Image: Serena Fantini
“), i.text = “window._taboola = window._taboola || ();_taboola.push({mode:’alternating-thumbnails-a’, container:’taboola-below-article-thumbnails’, placement:’below-article’, target_type: ‘mix’});”, n.appendChild(l), n.appendChild(i), e(n, t) } Array.prototype.filter || (Array.prototype.filter = function(e, t) { if (“function” != typeof e) throw TypeError(); let n = (); for (let l = 0, i = this.length >>> 0; l < i; l += 1) if (l in this) { let r = this(l); e.call(t, r, l, this) && n.push(r) } return n }), window.insertAfter = e, window.getElementByXPath = t, window.injectWidgetByXpath = function e(l) { let i = t(l) ||. document.getElementById("tbdefault"); i && n(i) }, window.injectWidgetByMarker = function e
