Why Krefeld has a unique selling point in German ice hockey

Interview with Elmar Schmitz
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“The Oberliga team is very important for our club”

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Trainer Elmar Schmitz is on the gang at KEV 81 and has been training the next generation for years.
Photo: Lammertz, Thomas (lamm)

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Interview Krefeld Why Krefeld has a unique selling point in German ice hockey, what problems KEV 81 had to struggle with before the season and what goals it is pursuing – this season and in general.

Next Friday the season 2021/22 begins in the ice hockey league with the season opening game Hannover Indians against Crocodiles Hamburg. The KEV starts on Sunday at 5.15 p.m. with a home game against the Ice Fighters from Leipzig. Before the start of the season, coach Elmar Schmitz speaks about the upcoming season.

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What were the reasons that it was questionable for a long time whether the KEV could even provide a top division team?

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Schmitz Our biggest problem was that the penguins had to cut their cooperation contribution by 50 percent. It took a huge effort to close this gap, which we managed to do shortly before the registration deadline. We have found new sponsors and existing sponsors have increased their contribution because the next generation is important to them.

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How did the contacts with the new sponsors come about?

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Schmitz By actively addressing the board of the KEV. We had been in contact with Danny Fischbach and Lukas Heise as former KEV players and owners of the group of companies for a long time. You are making a very important contribution to the continuation of our project.

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What feedback did you get on the companion campaign and what is the current status?

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Schmitz This campaign was extremely well received by the Krefeld ice hockey family and made a significant contribution to closing the funding gap.

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How important is the league team as a perspective for the youngsters?

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Schmitz The league team is very important to our club. It closes the gap between professional and junior ice hockey. Krefeld thus has a unique selling point in Germany, and it is attractive for talented players to switch to KEV.

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In your opinion, what was decisive that Alex Blank, Luca Hauf and Maciek Rutkowski made the leap from the top league to the professional squad of the penguins very quickly?

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Schmitz All the players are very talented. They were able to gain experience in the big league because they got a lot of Ice Age and have already taken on responsibility. That made the jump to a higher level easier for them.

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Which players in the current squad do you trust to join the professional squad next?

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Schmitz Of the defenders, Michael Schaaf, Markus Freis and Leon Schuster are candidates for higher tasks. Among the strikers, our 18-year-old import players Anakin Tessier and Marcel Mahkovec are very interesting because they can also get German citizenship in the future.

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In addition to the players who are now in the Pinguine squad, other regulars have left the club in Patrick Demetz, Adam Kiedewicz, Michael Fomin and Jakub Prokurat. How do you intend to fill these gaps?

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Schmitz It will not be possible to completely close these gaps. But it makes us proud that so many players have made the leap into professional ice hockey. Because of the long planning uncertainty, it was also difficult to speak to new players. Nevertheless, in Manuel Nix and Florian Maierhofer, we were able to win over two intelligent young strikers for our project. Returning Valentin Pfeifer will give us the necessary stability in the center position.

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How important is the commitment of the DEL experienced goalkeeper Patrick Klein? Should the team be reinforced with an experienced field player?

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Schmitz Our king transfer is small. Everyone knows the importance of a strong number 1 in this sport. Patrick will help the young team enormously and make our young goalkeepers Jonas Gähr and Matthias Bittner better. It is not financially possible to sign experienced players. We tend to focus on young, hungry players who want to make the leap into the professional field.

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There was another defect in the ice processing system in the ice rink. Is the team going into the championship with a training deficit?

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Schmitz The preparation was not ideal. We are missing both training and playing times. It’ll be a while before we’re in the rhythm.

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Many other teams in the league have upgraded their squad enormously and are working under professional conditions. How do you plan to keep up?

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Schmitz The other clubs have signed a lot of experienced players. For us it’s against relegation from the first day of the game. Participation in the play-off round would be like a championship. Our primary goal is to keep bringing young players into the professional arena. We managed to do that well after the last two seasons.

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Who are the competitors in the battle for relegation?

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Schmitz I see Hamm, Essen and Diez / Limburg there.

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Who are your championship favorites?

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Schmitz Certainly the reigning league champions Hannover Scorpions as well as Tilburg and Herne. I allow the Hanover Indians and Halle to have outsider opportunities.

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