With six players from the retired German champions Eisbären Berlin, the new national ice hockey coach Harold Kreis is preparing for the World Cup. In addition to Olympic heroes Marcel Noebels and Jonas Müller, goalkeeper Tobias Ancicka, defenders Eric Mik and Marco Nowak and striker Manuel Wiederer are also part of the 27-man squad announced by Toni Söderholm’s successor on Wednesday.
Noebels’ congenial strike partner Leo Pföderl, on the other hand, is missing due to injury. Pyeongchang silver medal winners Moritz Müller (Kölner Haie) and Dominik also get a break in the first two international matches on April 13 (7:30 p.m.) in Kassel and two days later (5 p.m./both MagentaSport) in Frankfurt against the Czech Republic Kahun (SC Bern), but they are firmly planned for the World Cup.
“In the past few weeks I’ve had a lot of contact with the players and I’ve encountered positive feedback and general enthusiasm to play for our national team,” said Kreis, who gathered his team in Frankfurt on Easter Monday: “For us, the first phase of the World Cup Preparation is a good opportunity to implement our basic vision of the game with a larger squad and thus build on the recent performances of the national team.”
After that, five more preparatory games for the World Cup in Tampere and Riga (May 12 to 28) are on the program. Then the players of the DEL semi-finalists and possible reinforcements from North America should also join the team.
The DEB squad for the first phase of World Cup preparation:
Goal: Tobias Ancicka (Eisbären Berlin), Florian Bugl (Straubing Tigers), Maximilian Franzreb (Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven)
Defense: Tobias Fohrler (HC Ambri-Piotta), Julius Karrer, Oliver Mebus, Marcus Weber (all Nürnberg Ice Tigers), Eric Mik, Jonas Müller, Marco Nowak (all Eisbären Berlin), Moritz Wirth (Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven), Mario Zimmermann (Straubing tiger)
Storm: Dominik Bokk (Löwen Frankfurt), Tobias Eder, Alexander Ehl, Daniel Fischbuch (all Düsseldorfer EG), Tim Fleischer, Danjo Leonhardt, Dennis Lobach, Daniel Schmölz (all Nürnberg Ice Tigers), Maximilian Kammerer (Kölner Haie), Alexander Karachun (Schwenninger Wild Wings), Marcel Noebels, Manuel Wiederer (both Eisbären Berlin), Joshua Samanski, Parker Tuomie (both Straubing Tigers), Samuel Soramies (Augsburger Panther)
