A little more than three weeks have passed since the Vienna Capitals were eliminated in three games in the pre-playoff against the now semi-finalists Hydro Fehérvár AV19. During this time there was a lot of movement behind the scenes at the capital club.
After a detailed analysis of the past season – in which sixth place was not reached after the regular round, seventh place and a significantly better home record represent clear improvements compared to the previous season – the course was set within the organization for the coming season. In the past few weeks and months, contract extensions and new additions have been agreed and further personnel decisions have been made. The capital club will announce these during the off-season; in some cases, publications will only be possible after the end of the ongoing playoffs of the win2day ICE Hockey League.
Kevin Constantine will not stay in Vienna
With regard to the position of head coach, the Vienna Capitals can already announce that the collaboration with Kevin Constantine will not be continued. The 67-year-old American took over the post of head coach last November and led the capital club to seventh place in the table last season and thus into the pre-playoffs, where they were eliminated in three games against the now semi-finalists Hydro Fehérvár AV19. Constantine coached the Caps in a total of 36 matches. In these, his team collected 18 wins and 18 defeats. The Vienna Capitals would like to thank Kevin Constantine for his commitment over the past few months and wish him only the best for the future.
Decision should follow soon!
Since the end of the season, the Vienna Capitals have been looking for the ideal person to fill this crucial position with clear requirements for coaching candidates. An initial shortlist of candidates has already been formed from a large number of applications, and several coaches are expected for intensive discussions in Vienna in the next few days and weeks. The new head coach should be involved in filling the remaining open squad positions and have a significant influence on them. The aim of the Capitals organization is to put together a competitive team with which to at least reach the quarterfinals next season in an increasingly strong league with structurally different requirements than a few years ago.
Statement Martin Reiss, President of the Vienna Capitals
“We did not achieve the goal we set before the season of finishing in the top six after the basic round. That cannot be denied and is also a disappointment for me personally. There are reasons for this, these were analyzed in detail, discussed and the corresponding lessons were learned from them. Overall, looking back, we have to draw a more differentiated picture of the past season. Seventh place is the best basic round placement since the last semi-finals in 2023. In the STEFFL Arena we were able to achieve that Capitals fans, with whose support we were able to break a record number of spectators, provide some highlights, especially in the second half of the season. The consistently positive and appreciative feedback from many partners and fans motivates us to continue on the path we have chosen and to make the Capitals an organization that can last for a long time and stand on its own two feet, regardless of generous public donations. However, what we achieved in the previous season can only be an interim step. especially when it comes to the sporting result. The positive development that the Vienna Capitals have achieved in recent years should also be reflected in their sporting success. The club is working tirelessly on this, although one cannot deny the current economic power of the current top six clubs and the expectations must be designed accordingly “To focus more on the balance of the league in the interest of all clubs and, above all, the development of the league, with financially stable clubs as a whole.”
Statement Christian Dolezal, sporting director of the Vienna Capitals
“Looking back, it is evident that the decision at the time to appoint Kevin Constantine as head coach was the right one. It is also thanks to him that we ultimately qualified for the pre-playoffs in seventh place after a poor start to the season. We would like to thank him for that. For us as an organization, it is now about the long-term development of a top-six team, which is why we will take a different path in the coaching position. We are already in in-depth, intensive discussions with suitable people Candidates I would like to thank Kevin for his commitment and hard work over the past few months and wish him all the best for the rest of his life. Even though the last season did not meet our expectations, the second half of the season in particular showed that our team was able to hold the core of the team together for the new season. We will therefore fill the remaining open positions with powerful new signings.
www.vienna-capitals.at, Pic: Vienna Capitals/Manfred Szieber
“), 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
