Wien back in the EHL after 10-year break

HC Wien are back in the EHL this season after a 10-year break as they look to put it up to Royal Léopold in the KO16 next month in Barcelona.

It follows their first Austrian championships since 2015 but there are still five players to link the two generations with Marcel Hilbert, Jakob Puchhammer, Franz Lindengrün, goalkeeper Lukas Glaser (GK) and Simon Landsteiner; the latter scored their only EHL goal against Harvestehuder THC.

Assessing his squad, coach Hanno Poeschl says: “We have a very young team full of talent with a bright future, but we’re fully aware of the challenge ahead.

“The opposition has far more experience and depth, and nobody questions their quality. But respect doesn’t mean fear – it means preparation. We will focus on executing our plays, one at a time, and making the smart decisions.

“For us this tournament is about more than just winning or losing. It’s about showing resilience, fighting together, and learning what it means to compete at the highest level.”

That preparation has seen them take in a tournament in Munich featuring Munchner SC, TSV Mannheim and SC Frankfurt 1880.

They have also welcomed a few key players to the line-up; the 19-year-old Maximilian Meisel is already a senior international and he is back in Austria after a spell with UHC Hamburg.

He joins fellow Red Capricorn internationals Josef Winkler and Franz Lindengruen while Benedikt Meisel is one to watch – the 16-year-old offensive midfielder is already part of the Austria Under-21 setup.

Bringing international flavour, Spaniard Saül Esteve joins after spells with Hamburger Polo Club and Grossflottbeker THGC while American Kai Kokolakis helped his country to second place in the PanAm Cup earlier this year. Alessandro Giraudo is a former Italian Under-21 international from HC Bra.

On the debit side, Julian Kaiser moved to Oranje Rood in the Netherlands.

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