Innsbruck's Lattner extended: return to the playoffs in sight!

Innsbruck's Lattner extended: return to the playoffs in sight!

HC TIWAG Innsbruck has extended the contract with its captain Jan Lattner until the 2025/26 season. The club announced this on April 4, 2025. Lattner, who has been playing for Innsbruck since the 2019/20 season, has already played almost 300 games in the win2day ICE Hockey League and is considered an important leading figure in head coach Jordan Smotherman's team. Lattner, who is 33 years old and comes from the Czech Republic, now sees Tyrol as his second home. He expressed his desire to return to the playoffs with the team after the current season did not live up to expectations.

Last season, the Innsbruck fans enjoyed an almost perfect performance in the regular round, in which the team temporarily took first place. The return to the playoffs after five years was seen as a great success, even if the early elimination was seen as a shame because the team performed strongly.

Influential role of captain

With Lattner at the helm, the team plans to put a good group on the ice. The aim is to make constant improvements and give something back to the fans after last season started so promisingly. Head coach Mitch O'Keefe praised Lattner's significant contribution to the best season in the club's history, while sports manager Max Steinacher emphasized Lattner's role as a leader and his influence on the team's success. In his fifth season at Innsbruck, Lattner will certainly do everything he can to lead his team to success.

Lattner's commitment and reliability are also the reason why Coach Smotherman is happy about him staying at the club. His firm goal is clear: after the positive feedback from the fans and the strong performance of last season, they should aim for a place in the playoffs again in the coming season.

The context of ice hockey in Germany shows that ice hockey is one of the most popular sports behind football and handball. Current statistics show that the German Ice Hockey Association had around 25,860 members in 2024 and that the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) recorded an average audience of 7,162 per game in the 2023/24 season. The development of teams like HC Innsbruck is also further increasing the importance of sport.

With a view to the future of Austrian ice hockey and especially to the Innsbruck Haie, the consistency that Lattner brings to the team with his contract extension is a step in the right direction. Next season will show whether the team can achieve the goals it has set and whether it can once again follow in the footsteps of past successes.

Further information about successes and statistics in ice hockey can be found at eishockey100.de, while detailed news about HC Innsbruck hockey-news.info and laola1.at can be found.