Monday, 05. June 2023 | Portrait of Red Bull München's CHL opponent HC Innsbruck
CHL newcomer comes to the "derby": HC Innsbruck in portraitFirst encounter with the sharks// CHL - PORTRAITIn the preliminary round of the new 2023/24 Champions League season, the Red Bulls will face HC Innsbruck at Oberwiesenfeld. We took a closer look at our Austrian neighbors, who are making their first appearance in the top flight.With about 130,000 inhabitants, the capital of Tyrol is one of the largest cities in Austria. Innsbruck is located close to the Brenner Pass and is therefore a popular destination for vacationers on their way to Italy. Due to the Leopold Franzens University, Innsbruck is also considered a real university city. It is only about 160 kilometers to Munich - so a small "derby" awaits us.
The surprise team of the ICE Hockey League
HC Tiroler Wasserkraft Innsbruck, founded in 1994, has been playing in Austria's top league for ten years now. The past season was the most successful season in the club's history so far. The Haie surprisingly shook up the ICE and finished third in the table after a consistent main round with 31 wins from 48 games (94 points). This ensured a commanding spot in the playoffs.
The performances at home in the Tiroler Wasserkraft Arena (capacity: 3,000 spectators) were strong, while away from home they scored even better. With 186 goals, Innsbruck provided the best attack in the league. In addition, the power play was by far the best in the ICE with a success rate of 26.3 percent. In the playoff quarterfinals, however, came the end. The Vienna Capitals prevailed 4:2 in the best-of-seven series.
Before that, Innsbruck last played in the finals in 2017 and 2018. In this respect, the past season can be chalked up as a great success. As a reward for a great year, the team qualified for the Champions League for the first time by beating EC Red Bull Salzburg and HC Bozen in the final.
Major upheaval in defense and attack
Canadian Mitch O'Keefe has been at the helm of the Tyrolean team since 2020. The 39-year-old coach, who was a goalkeeper in his playing days, has to cope with the departure of numerous key players. Among other things, last year's number one Tom McCollum left for Germany to join EV Regensburg in the DEL2. The Canadian Evan Buitenhuis, who was last under contract with Adler Mannheim, was a newcomer.
Particularly painful are the departures of two top defensemen Simon Bourque and Jamal Watson. The Canadian duo combined for 16 goals and 47 assists. Numbers that have to be replaced first. At least Czech captain Jan Lattner (32 scorer points) is still on board. The Dane Anders Krogsgaard played for the Pinguins Bremerhaven in the PENNY DEL until 2022.
There are also some serious changes in the forward line. Adam Helewka, with 28 goals the best scorer of the ICE main round, will play for SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland) in the future. Other offensive mainstays like Daniel Leavens (Fehervar AV19, ligaintern) or Tyler Coulter (HK Poprad, Slovakia) are also gone. All the more important that Brady Shaw could be kept. The 30-year-old Canadian was named league MVP, i.e. most valuable player. In addition, the ICE's best scorer with 44 assists and a total of 69 points also secured the crown of the league's top scorer of the regular season.
Die K.o.-Phase der CHL erklärt
// CHL - AKTUELLES
HC Innsbruck
Year of foundation: 1994
Club colors: blue, red
League: ICE
Venue: Tiroler Wasserkraft Arena
Capacity: 3,000 seats
Head coach: Mitch O'Keefe
Successes: 3x ICE playoff quarterfinals (2017, 2018, 2023), 1x CHL participation (2023), 1x National League champion (2012)
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