EHC Red Bull München: Jakob Weber in portrait

Tuesday, 05. September 2023 | EHC Red Bull München: Jakob Weber in portrait

From Kazakhstan to Bavaria: This is Jakob Weber// PORTRAITIn our portrait series, we introduce our new players. Jakob Weber is a recent addition to the squad. We talked to the 19-year-old defender about his background and his long journey to Munich.

Jakob Weber was traveling with the Red Bull Hockey Juniors in Finland when his coach called him over after the last game. "He told me to go to Munich for a week to train with the pros. There was no talk of a game at that point," Weber recalls. But he was convincing in the training sessions, was allowed to play in the test match at EV Zug and then also proved his ability at the Red Bulls Salute. The 19-year-old had made the first step.

"In the next week of training, I was told that Champions League jerseys had been ordered for me. That was a very special moment," said Weber, who actually went along to the Czech Republic and played the two opening games in Europe's premier league. Both against Vítkovice Ridera and Oceláři Třinec he showed appealing performances. But who is this nimble defender who never avoids a duel?

Highlights: Oceláři Třinec vs. Red Bull München (03.09.2023)

// HIGHLIGHTS

Call from Dubé

Weber's birthplace is around 4,500 kilometers away from Munich as the crow flies. The defender was born in 2004 in Karaganda, the fifth largest city in Kazakhstan. His father is Kazakh, his mother Russian. "My dad's grandpa was German and his name was Weber. And Jakob is not a rare first name in Russia. That's why I carry a typical German-sounding name," Weber clarifies. When he was eight months young, the family moved to Kaufbeuren. There, his sister, who was three years older, took him figure skating. "I was three or four. After skating school, I then switched to ice hockey," Weber says. At ESV Kaufbeuren, he went through the junior teams.

"After a U14 tournament with the Bavarian selection in Italy, Yanick Dubé called me to ask if I would like to drop by the Red Bull Ice Hockey Academy," Weber says. It was an attractive offer that demanded an important decision: "I thought about it because it's a big step for a youngster. But it was a great opportunity and I wanted to try something new."

Friendship with Lutz

Maybe it's because of his origins. Former German national players such as goalkeeper Dimitri Kotschnew and Boris Blank were born in Karaganda. But someone else was more important for Weber's career: "Alexander Dück also comes from there. He later became my coach in the U18 national team." There he played together with Veit Oswald, who is now his teammate with the Red Bulls. Oswald wasn't the only familiar face.

"I'm friends with Julian Lutz. I wrote to him before I arrived in Munich," says Weber, who still remembers his first training session with the German champions well: "When I was in the dressing room for the first time, the players introduced themselves. I immediately felt like part of the team."

Welcome to Munich, Jakob!