Release from 07.01.2021

Austin Ortega replaces loan player in Salzburg

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While John Peterka and Justin Schütz return to EHC Red Bull Munich, EC Red Bull Salzburg signed forward Austin Ortega. The 26-year-old US-American played 16 games for HC TPS Turku in the Finnish top league Liiga this season. In the previous season, the right winger went on the goal hunt for Eisbären Berlin.

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EC Red Bull Salzburg strengthens its offense with American forward Austin Ortega. The 26-year-old joins from TPS Turku in Finland's top Liiga league, where he has played 16 games so far this season.

Before Ortega went on a scoring spree in Turku (3 goals, 3 assists in 16 games), he already played two years in Europe; in the 2018/19 season in the SHL with the Växjö Lakers (3 goals, 9 assists) and the Berlin Eisbären (7 goals, 11 assists), respectively, and then in Berlin for the entire 2019/20 season (Corona-conditionally without playoff), where he registered 18 goals and 22 assists in 52 games.

Until his move to Europe, the winger played four years in the NCAA at the University of Nebraska-Omaha as well as between 2016 and 2018 with the San Diego Gulls in the AHL and the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL.

Austin Ortega: "The Red Bulls have made a great effort to sign me and believe I'm a good fit for the team. I didn't want to pass up the option to play for such an elite organization."

He is not expected to make his first appearance with the Red Bulls until next week at the earliest.

Peterka and Schütz back in Munich
John Peterka and Justin Schütz, who joined EC Red Bull Salzburg on loan from EHC Red Bull Munich last fall, will return to their regular club in Munich. Peterka made twelve appearances for Salzburg in the bet-at-home ICE Hockey League, scoring seven goals and nine assists. Schütz finished with five goals and eleven assists in 25 matches.

At the end of August 2020, German forwards John Peterka (18 years old) and Justin Schütz (20 years old) moved from EHC Red Bull Munich to EC Red Bull Salzburg to gain further playing experience and develop in the bet-at-home ICE Hockey League, as it was still unclear at that time when the PENNY DEL would start the 2020/21 season. On December 17, the German ice hockey league resumed play and thus the two now return to his parent club.