Peter Schneider: “It makes me incredibly proud to lead the guys at this World Championship”

Peter, how proud are you to captain the national team at a World Championship for the first time?
Peter Schneider: “It makes me incredibly proud to lead the guys at this World Championship. I hope I can pass on my experience from previous tournaments, especially to the younger players who are taking part for the first time. A major event is always a bit different from preparation games. We have to be fully ready."

Is this a special World Championship for you because you’re captaining Austria?
Peter Schneider: “I don’t measure my career by which letter I wear on my jersey, but by the success we achieve together.”

In recent years, Thomas Raffl always wore the ‘C’. Since you are also teammates at Red Bull Salzburg, have you spoken with him about it?
Peter Schneider: “I’ve had the privilege of learning from him for several years. We are different personalities, of course. Some things he does extremely well — like the calmness he brings to the team — are things I try to take with me. I hope I can find the right balance to bring the team to the right level.”

The atmosphere within the team is very good. You’ve done a great job integrating the younger and partly new players. How much fun is that as well?
Peter Schneider: “A lot. Credit also goes to them because everyone has integrated really well. Everyone is fighting for their spot. We have a great atmosphere in the locker room and get along very well. Everyone can speak up and say what’s on their mind. That has always been important to us and we want to maintain that during the World Championship.”

You joined preparation unusually early this year. How have you experienced the last few weeks? How ready is the team for the World Championship?
Peter Schneider: “We trained very hard, which is exactly how it should be, especially to make sure we’re physically ready. From a physical standpoint, we’re already in very good shape. Tactically, we’ve also improved a lot and are implementing Roger’s ideas better from week to week. There are still a few days left and I’m confident everything will come together well.”

What will be key at the World Championship to once again be able to say it was a successful tournament?
Peter Schneider: “The most important thing is team unity, regardless of which lineup is on the ice. We need to play for each other and do the dirty work for one another. If we play that way, we can challenge the big nations as well. A good start to the tournament is crucial and that’s where our full focus lies.”

Austria has earned a lot of respect in recent years. What do you hear from abroad? How is Austria viewed internationally?
Peter Schneider: “A lot of positive things. We’ve developed really well over the past few years and we can be proud of that. But it doesn’t matter what we achieved in the past — everything starts from zero again. You’re only as good as your next game and we have to prove that we have what it takes.”

Do you feel there are expectations within the team itself?
Peter Schneider: “It’s very important to keep the focus small — concentrate on the next shift and the next play. If something good happens, move on quickly. The same goes for bad moments. That applies to us as a team too. We have to think game by game if we want to succeed. Once you start thinking about last year, it’s not good. The focus has to be on what’s ahead of us, and that’s how we’ll approach it.”

What do you take away from the successes of recent years?
Peter Schneider: “We’ve learned that with the style of play we used at recent World Championships, we can achieve things nobody expects from us. And we gained an incredible amount of confidence. But we can’t rely on the past. In sports, things can change very quickly if you think too far ahead or focus on things that haven’t happened yet. That’s why it’s important to keep the focus narrow, take the positives with us, and believe that our style of play can lead to success.”

Austria faces Great Britain and Hungary in its first two games — opponents against whom the team could secure its primary goal of avoiding relegation early. Is it an advantage that most of the national team has already been together for so long?
Peter Schneider: “We want to beat every opponent, no matter who we play against. It’s definitely an advantage when most of the team is together early so certain things can click and everyone gets used to the same pace. We train at a high tempo because that’s exactly how it will be at the World Championship — especially in the first two games. It’s going to be a dogfight. We’ll have to battle extremely hard to win those games. That’s what we’re already preparing for in practice. We train very physically, very fast, and very direct. We have to carry that into the World Championship.”

Austria’s World Championship Schedule:
Sat, May 16, 2026, 12:20: Great Britain vs. Austria
Sun, May 17, 2026, 16:20: Austria vs. Hungary
Tue, May 19, 2026, 16:20: Latvia vs. Austria
Wed, May 20, 2026, 16:20: Austria vs. Switzerland
Sat, May 23, 2026, 20:20: Austria vs. Germany
Sun, May 24, 2026, 20:20: Finland vs. Austria
Tue, May 26, 2026, 16:20: USA vs. Austria