Wednesday, 13. May 2026 |
Red Bulls at the World Championship
The Austrian national team has been a top-tier contender since 2018 and has managed to pull off several surprises among the world’s 16 best teams. Last year’s 8th-place finish at the World Championship in Sweden and Denmark was actually the team’s best result in 31 years. The upward trend is set to continue at the upcoming World Championship in Switzerland, and with goalies David Kickert and Atte Tolvanen (who holds dual Finnish-Austrian citizenship), defenseman Philipp Wimmer, and forwards Peter Schneider, Benjamin Nissner, and Mario Huber, six Red Bulls players will be in action.
In a highly successful dress rehearsal last Saturday in Klagenfurt, the Austrians defeated Slovenia 4-1. The goals were scored by Salzburg’s Peter Schneider (2) and Benjamin Nissner, as well as 18-year-old Leon Kolarik, who trained at the Red Bull Ice Hockey Academy from 2021 to 2025 and has been playing for the Peterborough Petes in the Canadian OHL since last season.
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Impressions of the last World Championship
For Mario Huber, this is his third World Championship. After a long preparation, the Salzburg striker is looking forward to 'real' games and is confident of achieving his self-imposed goals. We asked him.
Mario, how was the preparation with the Austrian national team?
Very good. We had good training sessions, good games, and the team is complete. Now we're ready to go.
How excited are you before the first game?
As good as the preparation has been, I'm glad when the games that actually matter are finally here. We're really looking forward to the games and the atmosphere that awaits us. Our games are almost sold out, and that gives us extra motivation.
The group games start right away with opponents who are on par with Austria, meaning we should beat them to stay in the top group.
Yes, we have to be fully focused from the very beginning. We essentially have Game 7 right at the start. That could significantly influence how the rest of the World Championship unfolds. We're taking it one game at a time, but the first two matches against England and Hungary are very important.
Austria has consistently played at a top level in recent years. Naturally, expectations are high for the upcoming World Championship. Is that pressure or motivation?
We still see ourselves as the underdog, but we have our sights firmly set on staying in the top division. The team dynamic is good, the roles are clearly defined, and everyone is working hard. Anything can happen, but the last few years have shown what's possible.
All group matches in the Swiss Life Arena
The team, coached by Roger Bader, will play its group matches in Zurich at the state-of-the-art Swiss Life Arena (12,000 spectators), which opened in 2022, and will face Great Britain, Hungary, Latvia, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, and the USA.
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Film premiere at the Mozart Cinema: "RAFFL, the Captain's Code"// MOVIE | DOCU
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Six Red Bulls at the World Championship in Sweden // NATIONAL TEAM
Mit Galerie
Austria's national team finishes the World Championships in 10th place// IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP