Release from 02.08.2023

Interview with Rick Schofield ahead of tenth league season

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Rick Schofield returns to the win2day ICE Hockey League as the 36-year-old Canadian signed with HC Pustertal and is thus facing his tenth league season. In the interview, the center talks about the preparation for the campaign, expectations and the anticipation of the duel with his former club Steinbach Black Wings Linz.

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"Brunico was an easy decision for me and the family. We heard about how beautiful the city, and surroundings were. The rink is one of the nicest in the league and on top of that I feel they have a great team and professional organization," Schofield tells about the motives behind his move.

Looking forward to Linz game
The center gained his first experience in pro hockey in the American Hockey League from 2011 to 2013. He then moved to HCB Südtirol Alperia and his debut year in Europe ended with a bang: the Canadian lifted the championship trophy with the league newcomers at the time. "The league has been getting better and better each year. It draws some young skilled imports looking to prove themselves in Europe. While at the same time offers older players with families an amazing place to live all while playing at a high level. On top of that the development of the local players has raised the bar of the league. Every team has a chance to win each night," knows the veteran, who also followed the win2day ICE Hockey League last season when he was under contract with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers. "I still had quite a few friends in the league last year so I always kept up to date via Instagram and Whatsapp. Always nice to see the weekly updates and watch teams like Innsbruck and Linz have break out years again."

The stint in the DEL was Schofield's only European season that he did not spend in the ICE. In total, the forward can look back on nine league seasons (4 years in Linz, 2 years each in Bolzano and Villach, 1 year in Salzburg). The anticipation for the duel with the Black Wings is already particularly high for the Pustertal newcomer: "For me going back to Linz is always special. It’s an amazing rink in terms of atmosphere and always a tough building to win in. I spent 4 years there and many fond memories". The wolves travel to Upper Austria for the first time in the fourth round on September 24.


Schofield played alongside Brian Lebler at Linz for four seasons.

Preparing for tenth league season
The Canadian has gained 396 points (188G, 208A) in 477 league games so far. "Fans can expect a consistent hard working 2 way player. I take just as much responsibility in the d-zone as I do in the offensive zone. In the past I’ve been successful on face-offs so I hope I can improve on that. We have signed a lot of great players this off season so I’m looking forward to playing with some creative players like Petan, Catenacci, Morley and especially Akeson and seeing how they make their teammates better," Schofield says of the expectation.

The 36-year-old spent the offseason in North America. "I was able to travel to see friends in Saskatchewan and Denver. Also I have two young daughters so spending time back at home with our extended family was even better. Being able to reconnect with family and friends is always enjoyable considering how long we are away from home," reports Schofield, who also follows an individual training program - and trains differently than he did when he made his league debut a decade ago. "I think when I first came into the league I was young and focused on strength and adding body weight. Lots of time in the gym and beating your body up. It was kind of the status quo at the time. I have learned a lot about my body of the last 10 and I know what works and what hurts. I think in todays game, you need to be able to be quicker, fast and change directions quickly."