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.
The development of the Vienna Capitals in recent years has been a pure descent. Nothing more was in the two expired seasons over the former shine when the title won in 2017, became runner -up in 2019 and came to the semifinals three times between 2021 and 2023. Twice in a row, the playoff (pre-playoff did not include) were now missed and therefore they were now standing up again. President Reiss announced at the end of the season that you will widen yourself at a sporting management level and shortly afterwards presented with Christian Perthaler the former general manager of Black Wings Linz as a sporty consultant. He also let you know that a significantly higher budget was available this year. It will be interesting to see whether this also has sporting successes and on the other hand, on the other hand, whether the time-honored Steffl-Arena holds out for a season without complications.
TRAINER
With new personnel requirements, despite the lack of success in the past year, Gerry Flemming can start a new attempt to prove himself in Vienna. But the 58-year-old, whose class is just as undisputed, must deliver and his team quickly form a functioning unit. The Echl, Ahl, Ahl, DEL, and NLA-experienced head coach with Fabian Scholz and Bernhard Starkbaum stands the same assistant coach duo as last year. Patrick Peter as an athletics trainer and Rafael Rotter as a skills coach complete an on ICE staff with years of caps background.
GOALKEEPER
With Tyler Parks, Peyton Jones, Anders Lindbäck and Sebastian Wraneschitz, four goalies were used last season, because there were seriously struggle with parks earlier. The positive: Sebastian Wraneschitz was able to play 15 games and showed that one should continue to build on him. You will also be, because the caps have extended the contract with the 23-year-old and his missions will hopefully not be dependent on injuries from his new team-mate Evan Cowley. The 30-year-old gained a lot of experience in different countries after his US college career. After stations in Poland, Denmark, Slovakia, France, Italy and Sweden, he now ended up with the Kagraners. What the former four -round pick of the Florida Panthers can do was already seen in the pre -season when he made a good role in straggler Asiago.
DEFENDER
The defense of the capital is experienced by a mega break. All three legionaries of last season, Seamus Donohue, Jack Dougherty and Willie Raskob are history, three new imports have been presented and all three have massive icenses. Randy Gazzola, Simon Bourque and Cole Hults bring it together to 408 missions in the home league, all stand for the risk of offensive and all three have already collected titles. In contrast to the pre -season, you will start the season with four legionnaires this year. Nelson Nogier received this fourth spot, who is also very experienced and from whom you can expect a lot. With 191cm height and 94kg combat weight, NHL, AHL, KHL and DEL experience, he will consolidate the caps defense.
There is also not much left of the pre-season from the Defender team at home. With Dominique Heinrich and Mario Fischer, the two major veterans ended their careers and thus enabled a rejuvenation cure. Linz-access Raphael Wolf is now the most experienced domestic Defender together with Erik Kirchschläger, who goes into his second season with the caps. Dominic Hackl also remained loyal to the Kagraners. Lorenz Lindner is also new to the team, whom you can also get from Linz. The new caps defense has a clear manuscript: it is younger, but still very league experiences and should be an upgrade to the pre-season.
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| Kader 2025/26 (under contract) | Goal: Sebastian Wraneschitz, Evan Cowley Defense: Storm: |
| Confirmed approaches: | Marco Richter, Benjamin Lanzinger (both Vienna Capitals), Sam Antonitsch (Graz99ers), Raphael Wolf (Black Wings Linz), Evan Cowley (Oskarshamn), Cole Hults (Bozen), Mitch Hults (Kladno), Senna Peeters (KAC), Nelson Nogier (Straubing), Simon Bourque (Bozen), Lorenz Lindner (Black Wings Linz), Carter Souch (Södertälje), Linden Vey (Friborg), Randy Gazzola (Asiago) |
| Confirmed departures: | Peyton Jones (Augsburg), Tyler Parks, Seamus Donohue, Jack Dougherty (Sheffield Steelers), Willie Raskob, Zack Andrusiak (Stavanger), Patrick Antal, Joseph Cramarossa (Augsburg), Evan Jasper (Sheffield Steelers), Brett Kemp (Bietigheim Steiners), Peter Krieger, Dominique Heinrich (career end), Bernhard Posch, Aljaz Predan (Linz), Niki Hartl, Mario Fischer (both end of the career), Mathias Böhm (Salzburg) |
| Any approaches/contract extensions: | |
| Any departures: | |
OFFENSIVE
The offensive of the capitals was no less changed. With Zan Franklin and Jeremy Gregoire you could hold the two top scorers last season, seconders will even take over the captain’s office of Mario Fischer. The rest of the legionaries like Andrusiak, Warrior, Jasper, Cramarossa are no longer there. But three new ones. One has Icehl experience, namely Mitch Hults, who is reunited with his brother after a separate year. Carter Souch has a season of Europe on the hump. The 23-year-old played in Sweden’s second division last season, showed his enormous scoring potential, even though he missed a large part of the season because of an ankle break. He is considered a noble technician who still has a lot of potential. Others look at Linden Vey. The 34-year-old is a “player to watch” because his vita reads impressively. 139 NHL inserts, plus seven seasons in the KHL, two in the NLA, one in the DEL and Olympic bronze with “Team Canada” show that he looks back on a great career. Vey is an exclamation mark in CAPS squad planning and, if he still feels it, could give the team a lot of joy.
On the home side, the scoring players were also kept. Christof Kromp and the really highly performing Leon Wallner continue in the team, in contrast to Mathias Böhm, Aljaz Prednar, Patrick Antal and Niki Hartl, who, as the third routine, hung his skates on the famous nail. To do this, they were handled tremendously and the offensive missed a new red and white-red face. Marco Richter is the most experienced newcomer with well over 400 missions and is now moving back to Vienna in Villach after four years. Sam Antonitsch also has almost 400 league games on his business card and will give the squad more routine in the back rows. It will be interesting to see how Senna Peeters presents itself this year. After a fabulous year 2023/24, it didn’t go at all after moving to Klagenfurt and the red jackets were probably not reluctant to move the 23-year-old to Vienna. There, however, he now wants to connect to his sharks and present himself as a reliable scorer. For Benjamin Lanzinger, the change of wallpaper was probably urgently needed. He has played constant in recent years, but there was probably no perspective. He now wants to take the next step in Vienna. With only 116 goals in the previous season, the offense of the capital was a breeze whether it would be more stormy this year? You will see …
Now you are on: Where do you see the Vienna Capitals in the coming season?
Master
8 (5.41 %)
final
2 (1.35 %)
Semi -finals
32 (21.62 %)
Quarterfinals
68 (45.95 %)
Pre-playoffs
34 (22.97 %)
Preliminary round
4 (2.7 %)
Image: Vienna Capitals/Aaron Margotti
