Ich habe die Linie extrem geil gefunden. (...) Ich finde es etwas schade, weil es so Spaß gemacht hat, aber ich verstehe es.
The changes are also intended to spread scoring more evenly across multiple lines. Bader's summary after training: "That looked quite good."
Baumgartner: "I think it's a bit of a shame..."
Baumgartner can understand the head coach's decision, especially with an eye on experimenting and testing different combinations ahead of the 2027 World Championship.
Nevertheless, he noted: "I thought the line was awesome. We're good skaters, we want the puck, and we can score goals. We created a lot of chances. I think it's a bit of a shame because it was so much fun, but I understand it."
New defensive pairings as well
Pairings are changing in defense as well.
Captain Clemens Unterweger was paired with Niklas Würschl, while his former partner Philipp Wimmer played alongside Thimo Nickl. Luis Lindner, who had a strong game against the DEB team, also trained alongside Nickl, but will not play against Slovakia.
Dominic Hackl and David Maier remained unchanged, while Patrick Söllinger moved alongside Paul Stapelfeldt.
Florian Vorauer is set to start in goal against Slovakia, while Nicolas Wieser will get the final game against Latvia.
Expected lineup against Slovakia:
Forwards:
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
Ali Wukovits | Benjamin Nissner | Lucas Thaler |
Paul Huber | Lukas Haudum | Henrik Neubauer |
Maximilian Rebernig | Benjamin Baumgartner | Vinzenz Rohrer |
Simeon Schwinger | Oliver Achermann | Leon Wallner |
Defense:
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Clemens Unterweger | Niklas Würschl |
Philipp Wimmer | Thimo Nickl |
Dominic Hackl | David Maier |
Paul Stapelfeldt | Patrick Söllinger |
