Ahead of the start of the upcoming Champions Hockey League season, we asked the Head Coaches of Red Bull Munich's six Regular Season opponents what their thoughts are on the German team - here's what they had to say!
HC Košice Head Coach Dan Ceman: “Munich have been an outstanding team for a long time. Year after year they have an elite team and they’ve retained a large majority of their players from last year. It will be a monumental task to play in their rink against a great team with an extreme amount of experience and talent. It will be very interesting to see if their style of play will change with the new coaching staff. Obviously, a high-level coach has replaced the legendary Don Jackson following his retirement, so we’ll be waiting anxiously to see if there are any systematic or tactical changes.”
HC Innsbruck Head Coach Mitch O'Keefe: “This will be our last game before our league season starts, so we want to start on a good note. Munich are a very strong team and will be a very tough opponent on the road. They have a lot of experience throughout their line-up and have good size. We will need to manage the puck well and stay out of the box. I hope our game is in good form at this point and we play with speed and confidence.”
Lukko Rauma Head Coach Tomi Lämsä: “A leading organisation in Europe. Facing the reigning DEL champions will give us a great opportu- nity to put our skills to the test. And let’s not forget it was Munich that eliminated us in the CHL Quarter-Finals in 2021 so we’re eager for payback.”
Vítkovice Ridera Head Coach Miloš Holaň: “German champions – that is the first and most important fact. Looking at their roster, it’s hard not to miss all the Canadian and American players. So, in my opinion, we can expect a North American style of hockey. A lot of their players are very experienced, including many of this year’s World Championships silver medalists. So, generally, I expect a high-quality, strong opponent.”
Oceláři Třinec Head Coach Zdeněk Moták: “German hockey has been on the rise for some time now, and Red Bull Munich has consistently been among the top teams in the league. They won the title last year, so we can expect a clash between two championship teams.”
Färjestad Karlstad Head Coach Tomas Mitell: “The reigning DEL champions. We have played them in the competition before and know they are a good team. We have a former player on their roster, Jonathon Blum, who spent two good seasons with us here in Karlstad.”
Find out more about Red Bull Munich in the video below!