Starting position
The Graz99ers come to Salzburg as an opponent that is difficult for the Red Bulls to predict. Due to the almost complete replacement of the squad, the new Graz team with former Graz player and now new Head Coach Harry Lange also shows a different face that needs to be familiarized with.
After victories in the first five games of the new season and the interim lead in the table, wins and defeats have alternated. Just last weekend, the Styrians lost against Székesfehérvár (2:6) and VSV (1:2 SO) and are currently in fifth place in the table.
The Red Bulls have performed strongly in recent weeks and have also made their mark in the Champions Hockey League - next Tuesday in Karlstad, Sweden, they will play for promotion to the semi-finals. Just last Tuesday in the supplementary game against VSV, the team suffered a small setback in Villach with a 3:6 defeat, from which the team wants to recover quickly despite some injury worries.
Exquisite lineup
The Graz99ers' new squad is a mixture of well-known top players from the domestic league and a number of newcomers from other leagues. First and foremost Lukas Haudum, who preceded the KAC last season and is currently the Graz team's top scorer with 21 points. From Salzburg's point of view, Paul Huber (8 goals) and Tim Harnisch (3), who moved from the Red Bulls to Graz in the summer, will be of particular interest. Manuel Ganahl, formerly of the KAC, has also scored three times.
With Kevin Roy (8), Trevor Gooch (5) and Rok Ticar (4), among others, three imports have made the journey from Innsbruck, Ljubljana and Vienna to Graz. Defender Kilian Zündel, who once trained at the Red Bull Ice Hockey Academy, also moved to Styria from Switzerland in the summer. And with Korbinian Holzer, the club has brought in another veteran as a leading player; the 36-year-old defender is a German figurehead who played for Adler Mannheim last season.