A good month before the start of the Ice Hockey World Championships in Tampere on May 12, it is becoming apparent that Austria will fight to stay in the league without players with NHL experience. Marco Kasper had to end the season after a game for the Detroit Red Wings due to a fractured kneecap, while former, long-time NHL player Michael Raffl is missing with a shoulder injury. Team boss Roger Bader also sees the chance that Marco Rossi will come as low.
Raffl left the NHL after nine seasons and joined HC Lausanne last summer. At the end of the season, the 34-year-old forward played with an injured shoulder that he now has to recover from.
Rossi, who played two games for Minnesota Wild in January and 16 in the fall last year before returning to the Iowa Wild farm team, will probably be involved in North America in May. Iowa is about to enter the pre-playoff of the American Hockey League (AHL), Minnesota is already in the NHL playoff and can call the 21-year-old from Vorarlberg into the squad at any time. “Iowa has a good chance of winning the pre-playoff as well, and when the season in the AHL is over, I assume Minnesota will pull up Rossi and other players,” Bader told the APA – Austria Press Agency. “I rate the chances of participating in the World Cup as low,” says Bader.
The Swiss is currently preparing for the second World Cup preparatory camp starting on Easter Sunday in Innsbruck with two friendlies against Italy on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) in Brunico and on Friday (5:30 p.m.) in Innsbruck. Bader nominated eight new players compared to the week before and increased the squad to 28 men. Goalkeeper Florian Vorauer (KAC), defenders David Maier (KAC) and Philipp Wimmer (Salzburg), as well as strikers Raphael Herburger (Lugano), Lukas Kainz, Armin Preiser (both Vienna Capitals), Nikolaus Kraus and Simeon Schwinger ( both KAC).
Senna Peeters and Maximilian Rebernig had to pass injured. The two young defenders David Reinbacher (18, Kloten) and Thimo Nickl (21, AIK Stockholm) are also missing due to minor injuries and may be rested next week. “This is a precautionary measure. They will only come when they have 100 percent recovered from their injuries,” emphasized Bader. “Like every year and also with other nations, there are cancellations due to injuries. At the moment I have the impression that there are more this year,” said the team boss.