The Preseason is coming to an end and the new season of Icehl is just around the corner. Time to take a look at the teams and deal with the squads with which the 13 clubs go into the new season. We present the squad, you take over the evaluation: with our survey tool at the end of the article.
Just like in 2023/24, the EC-KAC also ended the basic round of the 2024/25 season as the leaders. The red jackets presented themselves again as a strong unit that scored fell goals and only had to accept a few. 181 goals were league value, 121 goals conceded the third best in the league. In the following playoffs you pushed to the final, but then you had to give up 0: 4 to the future master from Salzburg. A lot was right with the red jackets, so there were few reasons for personnel changes during the summer break. In the end, these failed to materialize: two cracks ended their career, three more will run up at other clubs in the future. Only two new additions could be greeted with the lawsuits. So there were only changes. But does the KAC still have a quick -witted troop that can play around the championship title?
TRAINER
There is continuity on the coaching bench, because with Kirk Furey and David Fischer, well -known faces are on the gang. Furey, who ran eight seasons as a defender for the red jackets, took over the Klagenfurter in the summer of 2023 and led the traditional club from Lake Wörthers to the final twice. Mario Fischer, who also defended for the KAC in his active career, is again available as an assistant coach. When the two were presented as the new coaching duo in the summer of 2023, there were definitely doubts. After two basic rounds, which are finished to 1st place and two final participation, the trust has definitely been more than justified. Goalie coach Andrej Hocevar goes into his sixth season at the red jackets. Apart from the coaching staff, there was a very interesting “change”: Oliver Pilloni, who has been for more than 18 years, has found his successor. Alexander Mellitzer has been part of the KAC since July 1 and will inherit General Manager in the coming years.
GOALKEEPER
38 years and not yet a bit tired: Sebastian Dahm is already in his 18th professional season at the KAC, his sixth in the lawsuit. Dahm found its way to Lake Wörthersee in the summer of 2020 and has not won less than 123 seasonal games since then. The Danish national authority goalkeeper still has a lot plans and wants to stand between the posts for three more years. The veteran would have no problem with a lower “workload”. Because with Florian Vorauer, an Austrian goalkeeper is waiting for more responsibility and operations. In the last seasons, the 25-year-old has developed very well and has been used so far 25 ICE games. Especially in the past playing time, he cut a good figure: in ten games, Vorauer came up with a goal of 2.33 and a catch rate of 90.7%.
DEFENSE
The departure of long-term defender Steven Strong became known on April 16. Born in Villacher, the red jackets have stood on the ice since 2015, but now the 32-year-old is going to the arch-rival. The son of VSV legend Ken Strong now patrols over the Blues for the Draustärter. The young Thomas Klassek dares to jump over the large pond and joined the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2025/26. For this, the experienced Canadian Jordan Murray is new to the contingent of the red jackets. The left -wing shooter moved to Europe for the first time in 2020 and found the way to the complaint for the lawsuits via Riga, HV71, Wolfsburg, Mannheim and Schwenningen. In 190 DEL games, Murray scored 97 points, at KAC he cut a good figure in the first missions.
Otherwise, the KAC defense consists of the same cracks, which also delivered at a high level in the previous year. The Dane Jesper Jensen Aabo (27 points in 38 games) was recently best defender. The 34-year-old Dane goes into his fourth season at the KAC. Remarkable: Murray and “Jja” are the only legionnaires in the D-contingent. At 80 minutes of penalty, Thimo Nickl was the KAC crack that had to take a seat in the cool box most of the time. With a good portion of physique, but also 23 scorer points, Nickl developed into a versatile defender. Clemens Unterweger played a sparkling clean season, who ended the season with a strong +37. No crack had a better value in the league comparison. Unterweger has been in the red jacket’s line -up since 2018 and has become an integral part of there. David Maier, too, recently took a clear step after, together with the two 22-year-olds, Tobias Sablattnig and Maximilian Preiml, he rounds off an extremely balanced defense.
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| Kader 2025/26 (under contract) | Goal: Sebastian Dahm, Florian Vorauer Defense: Storm: |
| Confirmed approaches: | Jordan Murray (Schwenningen), Linus Schrott (Malmö), Mario Kempe (Tappara) |
| Confirmed departures: | Thomas Klassek (RPI/NCAA), Steven Strong (EC VSV), Kevin Clark (career end), Nick Pastujov (Herning), Senna Peeters (Vienna Capitals), Johannes Bischofberger (career end) |
| Any approaches/contract extensions: | |
| Any departures: | |
STRIKER
In the storm, the record champion had to accept a bitter “departure”. Johannes Bischofberger pulled a line under his career. The 32-year-old Dornbirner has repeatedly struggled with the consequences of concealing the brain in recent years. The wing striker played 348 season games for Salzburg and the KAC, he was able to collect 225 points. Nick Pastujov and Senna Peeters are no longer part of the contingent. While Peeters, who never really got going at the KAC, stays in the icehl (Vienna Capitals), Pastujov moved to Denmark after two years in the ICE, where he will appear for Herning Blue Fox in the future.
For a long time, the fans had to wait for a new addition in the storm department, and Mario Kempe Sweden agreed in mid -August. The Draft Pick of the Philadelphia Flyers comes to Lake Wörthersee with a lot of experience at the age of 36. In the first four CHL inserts, he was already able to show with seven scorer points what he was made of.
Otherwise there are plenty of known faces: Last year’s KAC top scorer Nick Petersen is now going into his eighth season with the red jackets and was able to crack the 300 point mark this year. Mathias from from the Carinthian capital was able to settle in well in his first season and scored strong 21 goals. Matt Fraser also came up with this goal yield, who is now going to his sixth season in the multinational league. Of course, they are all set in the power play and are supporting roles in the attack game of the KAC. Even if he is fit, 37-year-old Jan Mursak has to be included. Since he hired the red jackets in the summer of 2023, he missed no less than 25 season games due to injury. If he is fit, it can become a decisive factor. The KAC’s “Legionary Package” is rounded off by Slovenen Luka Gomboc, which has been imposed on good performance in recent years. In the current CHL season, the 21-year-old was already able to celebrate two goals.
In addition to the import cracks, you trust a lot of home players at the KAC. Above all, captain Thomas Hundertpfund, who goes to his home club with his home club at the age of 35. Remarkable: his best seasonal pounds delivered a hundred pounds in the two expired seasons (37 and 35 points). Another red and white red veteran is Raphael Herburger. At the age of 36, the Vorarlberger faces his twelfth Icehl season. Herburger showed, especially in the playoffs of the past season, where he was able to collect 14 points in 17 games. But the basic round was also very good with 31 points in 37 missions. If the two veterans can recall such services, it makes it a lot easier for the coaches.
Because then there is also some pressure from the “young wild ones”. Fabian Hochegger still has a lot of experience at the age of 24. In 144 the native of Klagenfurter already contested the highest level. 19-year-old Oliver Lam and 18-year-old David Wazschnig can look forward to missions. Both youngsters were in use in all four Chl games, Waschig was even able to celebrate a goal. And then of course there is the trio consisting of Finn van EE, Daniel Obersteiner and Simeon Schwinger. For Schwinger it will be the third full season with the record champion, Obersteiner ran exclusively for the KAC in his previous career. With 26 points, he also delivered his best season last season. He was even bound to the club until 2028. A healthy mix of legionnaires, experienced domestic cracks and interesting youngsters. The advantage: The very similar contingent already showed in the 2024/25 season that it can “function”. The signs for this year are not the worst.
Now you are on: Where do you see the EC-KAC in the coming season?
Master
59 (29.5 %)
final
45 (22.5 %)
Semi -finals
72 (36 %)
Quarterfinals
21 (10.5 %)
Pre-playoffs
0 (0 %)
Preliminary round
3 (1.5 %)
www.hockey-news.info, Image: BwL / Eisenbauer
