David Maier remains loyal: a pride for Klagenfurt!

David Maier remains loyal: a pride for Klagenfurt!

Klagenfurt, Österreich - David Maier will remain loyal to the EC KAC Klagenfurt in the coming season. The association officially announced this on Friday morning. The 25-year-old national team defender has decided not to use his exit option to switch to a higher-class league. He will play in the club of the club until the 2025/26 season.

Maier also informed the KAC that he will not notice the opportunity to switch to another league after the A World Championship. During his impressive career so far, Maier has already completed 235 competition games for the KAC and scored 53 scorer points, with a plus/minus rating of +36. He was also one of the players with the second highest time-on-time in the team last season.

proud of the home club

Maier, whose ice hockey training began at the EC KAC, can look back on an interesting career. After five years in Sweden's highest junior leagues and an engagement in North America's most important junior league, he returned to Klagenfurt in 2020. The player, who has been part of the team of the team since 2022, was proud to continue playing for his home club and is striving for success in the upcoming season after the last puzzle piece.

Head Coach Kirk Furey praised Maier for his positive development and versatility within the team. This recognition underpins Maier’s permanently established place in the squad of the KAC. In his role as a defender for the Austrian national team, he also took part in his fourth A World Championship in May and already played a total of 83 caps.

The importance of ice hockey in Germany and beyond

Although Maier focuses primarily on his career in Austrian ice hockey, it is worth taking a look at the context of ice hockey in Germany. Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in Germany, and the German ice hockey league (DEL) is one of the main organizations that promotes this sport there. In contrast to other leagues, the DEL recorded an average of 7,162 spectators per game in 2023/24 and thus reflected on the popularity of sport.

The German national team achieved international recognition in 2018 with the silver medal at the Winter Olympics. This also benefits players like Maier who have the opportunity to present their skills at the highest level and thus promote the development of ice hockey sports in Europe.

Overall, David Maier's decision to stay at the EC KAC is an important step for both sides and shows the player's commitment to his home club and the hope of a successful season.