Graz99ers: Can They Defend Their Title?

Squad Highlights

Nine defenders are already on the roster, with sports manager Philipp Pinter luring David Maier, another current national team player, to the Mur.

This already makes for seven defenders consisting of imports and at least solid Austrians. Behind them are Paul Reiner, Maxi Kirchebner, and Johannes Gruber, three players Pinter knows well from his time as U20 coach. Quantitatively enviable, this crew is likely below last year's in terms of quality. However, Kilian Zündel, a top player, was lost again after his doping offense, and Nico Brunner has been suffering from recurring injuries for years.

Open question: Do they really want to integrate Reiner, Kirchebner, and Gruber, or send them (again) to the AlpsHL?

Little new behind the bench: Dan Lacroix proved after taking office that he didn't elevate himself above the team, letting them put their power on the ice.

With Darryl Williams, he was able to choose his own assistant after Nate DiCasmirro's departure. There's no reason why a still deeply stacked squad under a proven coach shouldn't continue to perform at the top.

Chris Collins often had to sit in the stands as an extra import, but his two-year contract saved him over the summer. Yet, we are talking about a center who – even if his speed might not be as impressive as it once was – scored 21 goals in 43 games and maintained an unblemished character.

Other teams would gladly have the problem of integrating such a player (again); Collins also consistently scored in the CHL recently.

Squad Question Marks

Compared to the squad of the last season's final game, the current one is naturally thinner. However, there was a surplus of three key players who had to sit in the stands when the squad was full.

This gigantism was also a reason why the playoffs – especially without games against KAC or Salzburg – became a foregone conclusion. Will there be internal discussions (Jerich never holds back with his opinion) about whether the squad should be strengthened again or if they can manage with what they have?

As mentioned, the surplus of three players had to disappear again. But with Korbinian Holzer and Kasper Kotkansalo, two experienced key players left, along with Nick Bailen, the offensive catalyst from the blue line, and Lukas Haudum, arguably the strongest Austrian in last year's league.

It will be particularly interesting on defense: Clay Hanus, coming directly from Canadian college, would have to replace a point-producer like Bailen – even if the latter was injured for a longer period and played defensively permeable.

If that doesn't even partially succeed, the offense from the blue line will likely rest on Frank Hora, who is already playing around the clock. The second new import defender, Ole Björgvik-Holm, has good skating ability but is likely to be in the performance range of departing Anders Koch.

What was overlooked due to the deep squad: The 99ers had several injured players (Bailen, Hora, Feldner, Swaney) during the regular season, which also continued this year in the CHL.

The large squad covered that up; even with many absences, they were always competitive. Will they ride out such absences this year, bring in replacement key players, or immediately deploy younger players? That could become a question of philosophy...