Starting Position
Even though the Vienna Capitals have missed the playoffs in the last two seasons, the Red Bulls have struggled recently against the capital city team. Last season, each team won two of their head-to-head matches, and in January, the Red Bulls lost once at home and once in Vienna. And the Capitals appear to have found their stride just in time for their first matchup of the season. After an 8-1 road loss to Ljubljana – currently top of the table (!) – they then beat FTC-Telekom 3-2 in overtime at home and yesterday won their match against Linz 7-6 at home, having already trailed 4-1 in the first period. The scorers came from all four lines.
The Red Bulls have won all three of their previous games and are on track, especially since the lineup is still missing seven recovering players. After wins against Bolzano and Klagenfurt, the reigning league champions once again delivered a solid performance at home against Villach yesterday. The foundation for the eventual victory was a strong defense, including a top-of-the-line goalkeeper David Kickert, who conceded only one goal in the final period while playing shorthanded for almost half the game, giving Connor Corcoran the opportunity to finish the game with a brace in overtime.
Roster largely replaced
The Capitals have replaced almost their entire roster for the current season, with 17 departures and 14 new additions. These include several players such as Sam Antonitsch, Raphael Wolf, Cole and Mitch Hults, and Senna Peters, who have already made a name for themselves in the ICE Hockey League. The most prominent new addition is likely Linden Vey; the 34-year-old Canadian has won titles in the KHL and the NL, among others, and won the bronze medal at the 2018 Olympic Games with Canada. The Vienna Capitals will certainly miss Mario Fischer, who has retired after 14 years with the Capitals, the last six of which as captain. The same goes for Dominique Heinrich, who played most of his career in Salzburg.
