2023-06-26 16:00:00
Pinguins team manager Alfred Prey is known for hiring players who are not so much in focus. This also applies to Lukas Kälble. The 25-year-old comes from Mannheim and learned to play ice hockey in the youth academy, but then went to the USA seven years ago to continue his professional and athletic training at college. He went to Lake Superior State University (Michigan) for four years and then to Clarkson University (New York). He finished his studies in 2022, in the same year he went to the Florida Everblades in the ECHL, with whom he won the Kelly Cup in both of his two seasons.
One-year contract with the Penguins
Now the defender is returning to Germany. He signed a one-year contract with the Penguins, Prey said. “I was almost a little surprised that he was available. I thought he was going to the AHL,” says the Pinguins team manager. When it became known in ice hockey circles that Kälble wanted to return to Germany, several clubs showed interest. But the defender chooses Bremerhaven. “Fortunately,” says Prey. “He’s big, strong – a good defender. I think he will play a good role.”
The Penguins roster is almost complete now
With Kälble, the Penguins squad is practically complete. A “post” in the storm is formally still vacant, but it can be assumed that the Penguins will extend with Niklas Andersen. In addition, a third goalkeeper must be committed.
Kälble is the eighth defender in the squad, the competition is greater than in previous years. The left-hand shooter, who is 1.85 meters tall and weighs 93 kilos, should be set. After all, he enjoyed a good basic education in Mannheim and gained a lot of experience in North America. According to Prey, he was seen as an attacking defender when he was young, but he then improved his defensive play significantly in the USA. “I think I’ve learned a lot in recent years and today I would describe myself more as a ‘two-way defender’,” Kälble is quoted as saying in a press release from the Penguins. Last season, he scored four goals and provided 30 assists in 85 games for the Everblades.
2016 at the U20 World Cup in Bremerhaven
Born in Mannheim, he was a national player from the U16 to the U20. Kälble also knows the Bremerhaven ice arena from this time. In December 2016 he took part in the U20 World Championship (Division I), which was held in Bremerhaven. Back then, he made contact with Kälble and continued to follow his development in North America, says Prey. He sees great potential in the new signing and even believes he is capable of making the step into the German national team. Kälble is coming to Bremerhaven with his girlfriend Jade on Tuesday, where he intends to spend most of the summer until the start of preparations in August. “Bremerhaven is the right place for me to continue my sporting development and to take the next step in professional ice hockey after my trip to America,” says the 25-year-old. “Having two championships in the past few years has only made me hungrier to win.”
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