After a 3:4 in the last home game of the season against the Eisbären Berlin, the Augsburg Panthers ended the main round with a 3:4 away defeat after extra time at the Löwen Frankfurt. This marks the end of the DEL season for the Swabians, as well as for Schwenningen, Iserlohn, Bietigheim and Berlin.
Only a remaining chance of staying up
While Bietigheim can plan to be relegated to the DEL2, Augsburg, as penultimate, has to tremble for a few more weeks. Only if none of the DEL2 teams Kassel, Krefeld or Dresden, who are eligible for promotion, becomes champions in the lower house, then the founding member Augsburg is spared relegation after 29 years of first class. This will only be decided in the playoffs in a few weeks.
Planning for DEL2
Only a few optimists still hope for relegation. Those responsible have long been planning for the second division. Christof Kreutzer was therefore presented on Saturday as the new coach and sports director in one person.
Christof Kreutzer takes over
The native of the Rhineland thus has maximum sporting responsibility. He is regarded as a great connoisseur of the German market in particular. Goalkeeper Dennis Endras thinks he’s the right man: “I think it’s a good step into the sporting future. Christof has a lot of background, lots of good contacts and I hope he can dig up and create something good. Christof Kreutzer is a very good one Decision for Augsburg ice hockey.” Sports manager Duanne Moeser is also convinced of his future boss: “He fits the profile, he’s ambitious and someone who knows the German market. He’s also proven that he can build a young German team.”
coach of the year
Christof Kreutzer comes from DEL competitor Schwenningen. He had his greatest successes in his hometown Düsseldorf. With the DEG he became champion five times as a player and was awarded coach of the year in 2016. The 55-year-old now has to build a completely new team in Augsburg, because many players are unlikely to stay after the upcoming relegation.
Squad change is pending
On the one hand, the squad has to be rejuvenated anyway after relegation, on the other hand, according to the rules of the DEL2, significantly fewer foreigners are allowed (four instead of nine per game). Instead, a significant number of young German players must be in the squad. “Together we will restructure some things in the sporting area, break new ground conceptually and also force closer ties to the AEV youngsters again,” explained Kreutzer on the Panther’s homepage.
Hardly any hope of staying up
However, he does not believe in staying in the 1st division either: “Even if there is still a glimmer of hope for a DEL whereabouts, our plans are initially focused on the DEL2, in which we want to be a top address.” The signs are clearly pointing to relegation and a new beginning under the new coach and sports director Christof Kreutzer.
