@kabidjan18
What do you expect from the Salzburg and Klagenfurt youngsters (in Austria, that would probably mean 22 and younger) in the upcoming season? Some have already played a good role last year, others who are already 21/22 seem to have been stuck in the minors/with the youth teams a little too long. Others seem to be bound to remain depth players (Witting, Pilloni).
Could this already be a make-or-break season for some of the players, considering that they are likely to get more opportunities this year? Are we going to see more players being loaned out to other Austrian ICE HL clubs?
Salzburg F:
Yannic Pilloni (22): Already played a lot last year.
Julian Klöckl (22): Very little or no EBEL action, will play for Zell am See now. No ICE HL future?
Nico Feldner (21): Already with a good role last year.
Marcel Zitz (21): Very little or no EBEL action. Has been leapfrogged by others.
Paul Huber (20): Already with a good role last year.
Maximilian Rebernig (20): Very little or no EBEL action.
Tim Harnisch (19): Very little or no EBEL action.
Salzburg D:
Paul Stapelfeldt (21): Very little or no EBEL action.
Lukas Schreier (20): Already played a lot last year.
Kilian Zündel (19): Very little or no EBEL action.
Klagenfurt F:
Daniel Obersteiner (22): Already with a good role last year.
Samuel Witting (22): Already played a lot with Salzburg last year.
Dennis Sticha (22): Very little or no EBEL action.
Klagenfurt D:
Kele Steffler (22): Very little or no EBEL action.
Niklas Würschl (21): Very little or no EBEL action.
David Maier (20): First season in Austria.
Pille - I believe he's the 2nd unit PK? He's really good defensively. Give him enough open space he can also occasionally create some offense. I don't know that he'll ever take on a role that's not 4th line Center and PK.
Klockl - left club
Felds - he played 4th line during the pre-season. Not really ideal, he's not crazy good at battles or defending. His shot is his main weapon and he has limited ways to get to it, at this level. We might see him back down at some point with Zitz.
Zitz - is injured right now. But does have his work cut out for him as far as catching the others.
Huber - great at battles but defense is a work in progress. Big body, likes to shoot. Disruptive on the forecheck and in the cycle-Jamie Benn-esque. Line 3 in preseason, could move up depending how he develops technically/systematically.
Max - a super underrated 4th liner. Good shot blocker and not bad in battles. I'd like him on the 4th line.
Tim - he still falls over whenever people touch him. I'm not sure he's ready, yet. 4th line in the pre-season but he's not a 4th liner. Probably back down as well...
Stapi - not as good as the younger players.
Schreier - what you see is what you get. Smaller, physically weaker, very limited offensive ability. Decent defensively.
Zundel - he'll probably get more time this season. A bit more explosive than Schreier so more offensive potential. traditionally good defensively, but had some troubles getting bodied off vs. Munich.
Obersteiner - just a good player, his ceiling might be a bit limited, but he has the speed to run with the IceHL guys and enough playmaking to score some points.
Witte - really wants to slow down the game and really struggles to do so vs men. The writing was on the wall in Salzburg. Joins his brother, that is nice, not sure KAC is a better hockey destination though. He's not really a bottom 6 grinder.
Sticha - he could be more of a bottom 6 type, but still has work to do
Steffler - his defense, his skating, his shot could all be improved. I still think he has potential. He's always had the offensive potential/puck-moving ability, but he's never really be able to turn into the defensive brute + the puck-moving ability.
Wurschl - smaller frame than Steffler, and was returning from injury last year. Like Steffler I still hope he can be good as a puck-moving D, he has a big shot, but he's on the clock.
Maier - he looked amazing in the pre-season...he's a bit like Sam Girard, much more of a crafty-defenseman than an actual stay-at-home, clear the crease style defenseman. But he's got a lot of offensive skill.
If any players were to break out... Maier could literally open his career as a 25+ point defenseman in the IceHL. He is that offensively gifted. Defensively, I'd like to see him become more brutal in his own area. And Huber scored 3+1 in 4 games in the pre-season, which doesn't mean much. But he's a guy who could be slotted up the lineup and perform decently well, he has to work on puck-handling and defense though as well. I'd be between those for the ROTY equivalent award. A lot pends on development. Like can Paul Huber surpass Mario Huber offensively? Can David Maier show more offensive poise/prowess than say Unterweger? Both teams are rather skinny on legios which means they might struggle, but that might give more chances for young players. Some of the old guard is also potentially declining with age. We'll see.
And then Daylon Groulx of course. With a bit of defensive development I see him becoming a really solid 4th liner for KAC this year. He's much more of a bruiser than anyone they have in system right now.
