ICEHL: “Young Star” of the league comes from South Tyrol again!

Purdeller was already fully convincing in his rookie season 2024/25 at HC Falkensteiner Pustertal: he reached the quarter-finals with the South Tyroleans and recorded strong 38 points in 56 appearances. As a result, the then 20-year-old was named Young Star of the Season for the first time. Now he is receiving this award for a second and final time – in the coming season, all players born in 2005 and younger are eligible to take part.

Purdeller is also confirming his strong development this season. In 50 appearances so far, the Olympian has 36 points – and his playing time is far from over for him. The semi-finals are on the agenda from Sunday after Pustertal caused a big surprise in the quarter-finals and clearly defeated series champions Salzburg 4-0. Purdeller contributed one goal and three assists.

Here is an interview with the two-time Young Star of the season:

Tommy, you are the first player to be voted Young Star of the Season twice. How honored are you by this award?
Tommy Purdeller: “Of course it’s a very big honor for me, and I’m very happy that I was voted Young Star of the season for the second time. A big thank you goes to everyone who supported me on this journey – my teammates, coaches, the entire club as well as my family and friends. Thanks also to everyone who voted for me.”

Do you still see yourself as a youth player or as a seasoned player in the win2day ICE Hockey League?
Tommy Purdeller: “I think that in the last two seasons I was able to gain a lot of experience and develop as a player, which was my top priority. The amount of ice time and the trust of the club helped me a lot to develop from an inexperienced young player in a professional league into a reliable role player. I am very grateful for that.”

You collected over 30 scorer points in both seasons. How surprised are you by your numbers when you look at them?
Tommy Purdeller: “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. Rather, I see it as confirmation that the hard work over the last few years and especially in the summers has paid off. I’m happy with my development so far, but I also know that I can and would like to improve further in many areas.”

Of course, the current season is not over for you yet. How surprising was the clear win against series champions Salzburg for you and what expectations do you have going into the semi-finals?
Tommy Purdeller: “We have a really strong team this year with a lot of potential. We knew exactly what we had to do to be successful against Salzburg and everyone did their part. That made us particularly strong as a team. However, that was only the first round and we definitely don’t want to be satisfied with that. We have high goals and want to achieve them. I expect an intense and hard-fought semi-final and I’m really looking forward to it finally getting started again.”

The break until the start of the semi-finals is now very long. How do you best bridge this time?
Tommy Purdeller: “I think it’s important to use this time wisely. On the one hand, to regenerate physically and switch off mentally for a moment, but on the other hand, to continue to train well and work on our weaknesses. This way we can start the semi-finals with full energy and focus.”

Final results of the election for Young Star of the 2025/26 season:
1. Tommy Purdeller (HCP) 23 points
2. David Waschnig (KAC) 17 points
3. Paul Sintschnig (VSV) 17 points
4. Jonathan Oschgan (BWL) 15 points
5. Johannes Dobrovolny (KAC) 8 points
6. Filip Simovic (KAC) 4 points

This is how the fans voted:
1. David Waschnig (KAC) 6 points
2. Tommy Purdeller (HCP) 5 points
3. Paul Sintschnig (VSV) 4 points
4. Jonathan Oschgan (BWL) 3 points
5. Johannes Dobrovolny (KAC) 2 points
6. Filip Simovic (KAC) 1 point

This is how the ORF sports experts chose:
1. Tommy Purdeller (HCP) 6 points
2. Jonathan Oschgan (BWL) 5 points
3. Paul Sintschnig (VSV) 4 points
4. David Waschnig (KAC) 3 points
5. Johannes Dobrovolny (KAC) 2 points
6. Filip Simovic (KAC) 1 point

This is how the VB33 and DAZN Italia experts chose:
1. Tommy Purdeller (HCP) 6 points
2. Paul Sintschnig (VSV) 5 points
3. Jonathan Oschgan (BWL) 4 points
4. David Waschnig (KAC) 3 points
5. Johannes Dobrovolny (KAC) 2 points
6. Filip Simovic (KAC) 1 point

This is how the sports TV experts chose:
1. Tommy Purdeller (HCP) 6 points
2. David Waschnig (KAC) 5 points
3. Paul Sintschnig (VSV) 4 points
4. Jonathan Oschgan (BWL) 3 points
5. Johannes Dobrovolny (KAC) 2 points
6. Filip Simovic (KAC) 1 point

All young stars of the season:
2025/26: Tommy Purdeller (HC Falkensteiner Pustertal)
2024/25: Tommy Purdeller (HC Pustertal)
2023/24: Marcel Mahkovec (HK SZ Olimpija)
2022/23: Fabian Hochegger (EC-KAC)
2021/22: Benjamin Lanzinger (EC GRAND Immo VSV)
2020/21: Lukas Piff (spusu Vienna Capitals)
2019/20: Daniel Obersteiner (EC-KAC)
2018/19: Benjamin Nissner (spusu Vienna Capitals)
2017/18: Erik Kirchschläger (EHC LIWEST ​​Black Wings Linz)
2016/17: David Kickert (Vienna Capitals)
2015/16: Libor Sulak (HC Orli Znojmo)
2014/15: Radek Cip (HC Orli Znojmo)
2013/14: Daniel Pastl (EHC LIWEST ​​Black Wings Linz)
2012/13: Patrick Peter (UPC Vienna Capitals)
2011/12: Mario Seidl (UPC Vienna Capitals)
2010/11: John Hughes (HDD TILIA Olimpija Ljubljana)
2009/10: Markus Pirmann (EC-KAC)
2008/09: Thomas Hundredpound (EC-KAC)
2007/08: Johannes Kirisits (EC-KAC)
2006/07: Philipp Pinter (EC Red Bull Salzburg)

Process of the election
Initially, six monthly winners were determined. For this purpose, four players were nominated each month to take part in the election. The six monthly winners competed in the annual election for the title “Young Star of the 2025/26 Season”.

The election consisted of two components: in addition to the fan voting, TV experts from Austria, Italy and Slovenia also cast their votes. If two or more players receive the same number of votes, they will be ranked according to the results of the fan vote.

ice.hockey , Image: HCI/PAPA Productions