The Graz team also has high hopes for Roy. He comes from Innsbruck and was one of the league’s top scorers last season. “Graz has a very strong squad. This will be a good test. I’m looking forward to it,” says Eisenschmid about our first opponent. The Red Bulls have never played against Graz. They know a possible opponent for the second game from Germany.
New stars for the Löwen Frankfurt
The Löwen Frankfurt missed the playoffs last DEL season, finishing twelfth in the main round. The Hessians then made changes to the squad in important positions. New players include coach Tom Rowe, who moved to the Main from the Nuremberg Ice Tigers, and goalkeeper Jussi Olkinuora. The 33-year-old Finn comes from Genève-Servette HC as the reigning Champions League winner.
Strong individualists such as offensive defender Maksim Matushkin and Carter Rowney are still on board. The Lions still need to get into their stride. In the current preparations, they have one win and three defeats. The Red Bulls have dominated the duel record since the Lions’ promotion. Our team has won the last seven duels against the Lions.
Eight out of eleven: Norway’s serial champions Stavanger Oilers
Frankfurt’s opponent in the semi-finals is the Stavanger Oilers. The team from southwest Norway has dominated the domestic top league for a good decade. The Oilers have won an outstanding eight of the past eleven championships. Last season, however, they were eliminated in the semi-finals.
The Oilers rely largely on Norwegian players. One of the most prominent players in the squad is Mathias Trettenes. The captain played for Norway at the Olympics and World Championships. From 2017 to 2019 he played for the Krefeld Pinguine in the DEL – also against our team.
