Hardly any coach from the German Ice Hockey League has EHC Red Bull Munich in the race for the championship. In a survey conducted by the German Press Agency before the start of the season on Thursday, only two of the 14 DEL coaches named the four-time champion, who triumphed last year, as the big favorite for the championship title. One of them is Munich coach Toni Söderholm himself.
“Berlin, Mannheim, Straubing, Bremerhaven and us are certainly among them,” said the former national coach. “In the end, the decisive factor will be how the teams harmonize and grow together. And I have complete faith in us.”
The former champion, who is generously supported financially by the Austrian beverage manufacturer and who will inaugurate their new home, SAP Garden, in the coming weeks with a game against the NHL team Buffalo Sabres, failed in the playoff semi-finals last season. The Munich team is also having problems before the start of the season. Top scorer Trevor Parkes has been out injured for months and they have only won one game in five warm-up games.
Seven coaches again bet on the Eisbären
According to the coaches, the defending champions are the top favorites for the title. “It is currently very difficult to predict what will happen in April or early May, but at the moment the Eisbären Berlin, as defending champions and the best team in the league, are among the top favorites,” said Straubing’s coach Tom Pokel, and Nuremberg’s Mitch O’Keefe said: “My favorite is Berlin because they have won so many times and Serge Aubin is doing an excellent job as a coach there.”
A total of seven coaches are once again betting on the Eisbären. Their head coach Aubin, however, is still cautious: “We want to win our last game of the season. But we have a lot of work to do to achieve this.”
Adler Mannheim back on top in the coaching favour
Aubin’s colleagues see the Adler Mannheim as the Berlin team’s biggest rival, as they are hoping to finally become champions again after their last victory in 2019. Cologne’s new Finnish star coach Kari Jalonen sees the Adler as having the “deepest squad with very strong players” after their umpteenth upheaval in recent years. Four out of twelve coaches or sports directors are betting on the team from the Palatinate. Two of the 14 clubs did not take part in the survey: runners-up Bremerhaven and Mannheim.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240916-930-233586/1
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