Release from 17.08.2020

Innsbruck hires new goalie | Further roster-changes

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While the HC TWK Innsbruck “die Haie” completed its goalie duo for the upcoming bet-at-home ICE Hockey league season with signing former NHL first round pick Tom McCollum, the HCB Südtirol Alperia remains with netminder Leland Irving. Further, Alexander Cijan moved to the spusu Vienna Capitals, Stefan Geier heads into his 13th season with the EC-KAC and the iClinic Bratislava Capitals presented two more Slovak new arrivals.

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Innsbruck’s goalie duo is completed
After signing Rene Swette, the HC TWK Innsbruck “die Haie” tabbed Tom McCollum to complete its goalie duo. The 30-year-old played 195 games in the Canadian OHL with Guelph Storm and Brampton Battalion. His performances there earned him a place in the U18 and U20 selection of the United States of America. In 2008, Tom McCollum was drafted from Detroit in the first round and subsequently played three NHL games for the Red Wings. In recent years he played mainly in the American Hockey League, most recently with Hartford Wolf Pack, the farm team of the New York Rangers (NHL), but also with three teams in the ECHL. Innsbruck is his first team overseas.



Another season for Leland Irving at Bolzano

The HCB Südtirol Alperia confirmed Leland Irving, its goalkeeper for the last two seasons, for the first season in the bet-at-home ICE Hockey League. The 32-year-old Canadian came to South Tyrol at the start of the 2018/19 campaign – and from then on he convinced with consistency: in his first year for the "Foxes" he showed a save percentage of 92.2%. In the past season, he improved this to 92.5% in the regular season and even increased it to 96.3% in the three playoff games.



Stefan Geier remains with Klagenfurt

The EC-KAC extended the contract of Stefan Geier for the upcoming bet-at-home ICE Hockey League, as the Austrian heads into his 13th season with the "Rotjacken”. In the era of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (2003 to 2020), no KAC player played more league games than Stefan Geier (670). Including the Champions Hockey League, the forward overall played 682 games for Klagenfurt, recording 223 points (94 goals, 129 assists).



Another Austrian player for Vienna
The spusu Vienna Capitals announced their third newcomer for the upcoming bet-at-home ICE Hockey League season, as Alexander Cijan arrives from league rival Black Wings Linz. For Alexander Cijan Vienna is now the third professional station in Austria. After four seasons in Sweden - first with Linköping HC, then with Mora IK, where he debuted in the Allsvenskan - the forward moved to Salzburg. The Austrian national team player spent the past campaign at Linz. Overall, he recorded 313 league games.

Bratislava inks two Slovaks
The iClinic Bratislava Capitals gave their squad more depth for the upcoming bet-at-home ICE Hockey League season by signing two Slovakian players, Ladislav Romančík and Adam Bezák. The 24-year-old Ladislav Romančík, who has played for various Slovakian youth national teams, was most recently under contract by Rytiri Kladno and HC Slovan Usti nad Labem in the Czech Republic. Between 2014 and 2017 the defender spent three years in Sweden.

Adam Bezák, a 31-year-old forward, spent the last four seasons with the Heerenveen Flyers in the Netherlands, where he scored a total of 223 points in 101 games. He was also part of the national team in the junior section.