The Augsburger Panther join a long list of clubs that will be making their debuts in the Champions Hockey League in the upcoming 2019/20 season and to properly introduce the newcomers, we’ve dived into the club’s history and have analysed their recent success.
The history of the Augsburger Panther goes all the way back to a skating club founded in 1878, in the historical Bavarian city of Augsburg. Augsburger Eislauf Verein (more commonly shortened to AEV), the oldest skating club in Germany, only started competing professionally in the German top-tier of ice hockey in 1947. They predominantly competed in the second and third tiers, with a few short spells in the top flight of German ice hockey, throughout the second half of the 20th century.
A new chapter in the club’s history began in 1994, when the professional ice hockey division of AEV was rebranded as the Augsburger Panther. They were promoted from the second tier of German ice hockey that season and competed in the inaugural season of the DEL in 1994/95, finishing 13th. They have never been relegated since and have become a solid mid-table performer. They shocked everybody in the 2009/10 season when they made it all the way to the playoff final from an eighth-place regular-season finish, where they lost to the Hannover Scorpions.
But make no mistake – this “new” club is not only proud of its heritage, but it fully embraces it. They still play in their historical home, the Curt Frenzel Stadium, named after the club’s legendary chairman Curt Frenzel, who is associated with success in the 1960s. Red, green and white – the traditional colours of the city of Augsburg, are also proudly used by the club to this day.
Current head coach and general manager Michael Stewart has been with the club since 2015 and under his management, the Panther finished 3rd this season – their highest ever finish in a regular season of the DEL.
American duo Matt White and Drew LeBlanc have had terrific seasons this year. Both recorded over 45 points in the regular season. Matt scored 22 and assisted 27, while Drew recorded a personal best of 34 assists in his time with the club. The club is also known for a blooming academy full of young talent – 23-year-old forward Nico Sturm, a product of the Augsburger EV youth system, recently signed an NHL contract with the Minnesota Wild.
Under the supervision of club legend Duanne Moeser, who played 15 seasons for the Panther and works as sporting director at the club to this day, they will hope to continue their success into the Champions Hockey League, where they will go head to head with Europe’s elite.