Release from 28.05.2024

Graz signs Nico Brunner | Fraser, Frycklund and Gazley stay with their clubs

Short text 411 CharactersPlain text

The Moser Medical Graz99ers have signed national team defenceman Nico Brunner. The 31-year-old has plenty of experience in the win2day ICE Hockey League, having played 553 games (30G, 93A) for Villach and Vienna. While HCB Südtirol Alperia extended Dustin Gazley's contract, Matt Fraser will stay in Klagenfurt for another season. In addition, Mikael Frycklund is entering his second campaign with HC Pustertal.

Press release 3805 CharactersPlain text

With Nico Brunner, the Moser Medical Graz99ers have signed another Austrian player. Born in Villach, he made his league debut in a VSV jersey in the 2012/13 season. After more than nine years in the blue-and-white team, Brunner was looking for a new challenge and joined the spusu Vienna Capitals in the summer of 2022. After two years in Vienna, he now moves to the 99ers. Most recently, Brunner also played for the Austrian national team at the World Championship in Prague.

Nico Brunner: "They are currently working hard in Graz and following a precise plan. That convinced me to make the switch right from the start. Personally, I want to keep working hard and keep getting better. I always want to try to give my best performance. As a team, we also want to keep growing, be successful and have fun."

Goal scorer Matt Fraser stays with the KAC
Matt Fraser will continue to play for the EC-KAC: Both the Canadian and the club waived their exit options in his contract, extending their partnership until the end of the 2024-25 season. Fraser joined the EC-KAC in December 2020, and just four months later he was responsible for the Championship-winning goal in the red-and-white title win. He has played a total of 203 league games for the Red Jackets to date, scoring 84 goals. No other KAC player has scored more than 67 goals since Fraser was signed. In the past season, the 34-year-old Canadian scored a whopping 28 times - more than any of his team-mates.

Matt Fraser: "My family and I are very happy to be going into another season in Klagenfurt. It's an honour to wear the EC-KAC jersey and it's always a pleasure to walk into a sold-out Heidi Horten Arena at almost every home game. Last season was a very successful and enjoyable one, even if the last game went wrong, so I'm eager to get back on the ice with the boys. I want to help push our team over this last threshold that we failed to reach this year."

Bolzano extends with Dustin Gazley
HCB Südtirol Alperia has announced the extension of Dustin Gazley's contract. This is the 35-year-old's fifth season in Bolzano. The winger, who also spent one season with EC Red Bull Salzburg, has recorded 224 points in 267 league games so far. Thanks to his entertaining style of play, he has long been one of the most popular players in Bolzano and has the best scoring rate of the last five years with the Foxes (194 points in 235 games, including 83 goals and 111 assists). A few weeks ago, the forward made his debut in the Italian national team jersey, with which he took part in the World Championship Division I Group A in Bolzano, scoring one goal and two assists.

Dustin Gazley: "Bolzano has become a second home for me and my family. I have spent wonderful years here and want to create even more wonderful memories with this jersey. My dream is to win a trophy because we have built a lot in these seasons and our team deserves it. We will continue to work hard to achieve this goal."

Mikael Frycklund heads into second season with Pustertal
HC Pustertal has extended the contract with Mikael Frycklund. For the tall Swede, HC Pustertal was and is his first stop outside his home country. After two seasons in the SHL and several different stints as a leading player in the Allsvenskan, his path led him to the Wolves, where Frycklund's style of play and commitment also made him a crowd favourite. The 31-year-old forward scored 34 points (16G, 18A) in 55 games.

Mikael Frycklund: "I felt very comfortable at HCP, I felt the great support and appreciation of the club and our fans, which is why I am overjoyed and grateful to be able to return to Pustertal. I'm sure we'll experience many good moments together again next season."