Austria's U20 team: tightrope walk at the World Cup in Slovenia!

Austria's U20 team: tightrope walk at the World Cup in Slovenia!

The U20 World Ice Hockey Championships start today in Bled, Slovenia. Austria will face France in the first round after the team finished fourth last year. Head coach Philipp Pinter has nominated a promising squad consisting of talented players, including some who have already gained important experience, such as Benedikt Oschgan and Gregor Biber, both of whom can look back on an impressive tournament history. Loud Laola1 The team is in strong shape after defeating Slovenia and Hungary in a friendly.

Strong defense and offensive talents

Austria's defense is led by the experienced players Biber and captain Thomas Klassek, while goalkeeper Oschgan enters the tournament as number one. In attack, brothers Vasily and Ivan Zelenov could form a dangerous duo, supported by other talented strikers such as Ian Scherzer and Leon Kolarik. The team relies on a balanced mix of experience and young talent, which is also reflected in the squad: 13 players were born in 2006 or younger. Pinter sees the keys to success primarily in goaltending and the effectiveness of the special teams, which were crucial last year Kicker reported.

The competition is strong, particularly from the French electorate, who won silver last season, and the up-and-coming team from Slovenia, which has several notable players. Pinter's goal for the tournament is initially to stay in the league, with the desire to achieve more in the best case scenario. The first games will be crucial in setting the course for the rest of the tournament.