Austria’s ice hockey fans can look forward to attractive international matches as they prepare for the A World Championship from 10 to 26 May 2019 in Bratislava.
The highlight will be the dress rehearsal on 7 May, at which record world champion Canada will guest in Vienna as it did in 2015. The ÖEHV selection will play a total of 16 preparatory matches, 15 of which will be against A-nations.
But not only the fans in Vienna will get their money’s worth in the next months concerning the national team. The selection of team boss Roger Bader, who led Austria to the first class retention at an A World Championship in 14 years in Copenhagen in May, will contest matches in Vienna, Klagenfurt (Austria Cup from 7 to 9 February against Norway, Denmark, France), Linz (Czech Republic), Salzburg and Innsbruck (Slovakia).
“We need games like this to get better. The players have to learn with games against such good nations, how to deal with the high intensity like at the A-WM”, said Bader about the top-class preparation program. His plan with the team that he took over in November 2016 is to play 50 games against top 14 nations, including 25 against the top 8. The team currently holds 17 such games, including 6 against the top 8, but with the current program, he is getting much closer to his goal.
Even though the class has been maintained, Bader does not yet see Austria as an A-nation. “We can’t walk around with a big burst and think we’re so good. Establishing ourselves in the A Group is our goal, and it will not be easy. If we hold the class three times and qualify for the Olympics 2020 in Beijing, then we are A-class,” explained Bader.