Release from 23.03.2026

Tommy Purdeller named Young Star of the Season again

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Tommy Purdeller of HC Falkensteiner Pustertal has been named Young Star of the Season for the second consecutive year. The 21-year-old forward is thus the first player in league history to receive this award twice. In the final vote among all monthly winners, the South Tyrolean clearly prevailed with nearly the maximum number of points, finishing ahead of David Waschnig (EC-KAC) and Paul Sintschnig (EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV). The voting was conducted by fans as well as TV experts from Austria, Italy, and Slovenia. Below is also a detailed interview with Tommy Purdeller.

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Purdeller had already made a strong impression in his rookie season in 2024/25 with HC Falkensteiner Pustertal. He helped his team reach the quarterfinals and recorded an impressive 38 points in 56 games. As a result, the then 20-year-old was named Young Star of the Season for the first time. He now receives the award for a second—and final—time, as starting next season only players born in 2005 or later will be eligible.

Purdeller has once again confirmed his development this season. In 50 appearances so far, the Olympian has registered 36 points—and his season is far from over. The semifinals begin on Sunday after Pustertal pulled off a major upset in the quarterfinals, sweeping reigning champions Salzburg 4–0. Purdeller contributed one goal and three assists in the series.

Below is an interview with the two-time Young Star of the Season:

Tommy, you are the first player to win the Young Star of the Season award twice. What does this honor mean to you?
Tommy Purdeller: “Of course, it’s a great honor for me, and I’m very happy to have been named Young Star of the Season for the second time. A big thank you goes to everyone who has supported me along the way—my teammates, coaches, the entire organization, as well as my family and friends. Thanks also to everyone who voted for me.”

Do you still see yourself as a young player, or already as an established player in the win2day ICE Hockey League?
Tommy Purdeller: “I think over the past two seasons I’ve gained a lot of experience and developed as a player, which was my top priority. The amount of ice time and the trust from the club have helped me a lot in developing from an inexperienced young player in a professional league into a reliable role player. I’m very grateful for that.”

You have recorded more than 30 points in both seasons. How surprised are you when you look at your numbers?
Tommy Purdeller: “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. Rather, I see it as confirmation that the hard work over the past years, especially during the summers, has paid off. I’m satisfied with my development so far, but I also know there are many areas where I can and want to improve.”

The current season is not over yet. How surprising was the dominant win against reigning champions Salzburg, and what are your expectations heading into the semifinals?
Tommy Purdeller: “We have a really strong team this year with a lot of potential. We knew exactly what we had to do to be successful against Salzburg, and everyone played their part. That made us especially strong as a team. Still, that was only the first round, and we’re definitely not satisfied yet. We have high goals and want to achieve them. I expect an intense and hard-fought semifinal and I’m really looking forward to it.”

The break before the semifinals is quite long. How do you make the most of this time?
Tommy Purdeller: “I think it’s important to use this time wisely. On the one hand, to recover physically and switch off mentally for a bit, but on the other hand also to keep training well and work on our weaknesses. That way we can start the semifinals with full energy and focus.”

Final result of the vote for Young Star of the 2025/26 season:
1. Tommy Purdeller (HCP) 23 Punkte
2. David Waschnig (KAC) 17 Punkte
3. Paul Sintschnig (VSV) 17 Punkte
4. Jonathan Oschgan (BWL) 15 Punkte
5. Johannes Dobrovolny (KAC) 8 Punkte
6. Filip Simovic (KAC) 4 Punkte

Fan voting:
1. David Waschnig (KAC) 6 Punkte
2. Tommy Purdeller (HCP) 5 Punkte
3. Paul Sintschnig (VSV) 4 Punkte
4. Jonathan Oschgan (BWL) 3 Punkte
5. Johannes Dobrovolny (KAC) 2 Punkte
6. Filip Simovic (KAC) 1 Punkt

Voting ORF Sport experts:
1. Tommy Purdeller (HCP) 6 Punkte
2. Jonathan Oschgan (BWL) 5 Punkte
3. Paul Sintschnig (VSV) 4 Punkte
4. David Waschnig (KAC) 3 Punkte
5. Johannes Dobrovolny (KAC) 2 Punkte
6. Filip Simovic (KAC) 1 Punkt

Voting VB33 and DAZN Italia experts:
1. Tommy Purdeller (HCP) 6 Punkte
2. Paul Sintschnig (VSV) 5 Punkte
3. Jonathan Oschgan (BWL) 4 Punkte
4. David Waschnig (KAC) 3 Punkte
5. Johannes Dobrovolny (KAC) 2 Punkte
6. Filip Simovic (KAC) 1 Punkt

Voting Sport TV experts:
1. Tommy Purdeller (HCP) 6 Punkte
2. David Waschnig (KAC) 5 Punkte
3. Paul Sintschnig (VSV) 4 Punkte
4. Jonathan Oschgan (BWL) 3 Punkte
5. Johannes Dobrovolny (KAC) 2 Punkte
6. Filip Simovic (KAC) 1 Punkt

All Young Stars of the season:
2025/26: Tommy Purdeller (HC Falkensteiner Pustertal)
2024/25: Tommy Purdeller (HC Pustertal)
2023/24: Marcel Mahkovec (HK SZ Olimpija)
2022/23: Fabian Hochegger (EC-KAC)
2021/22: Benjamin Lanzinger (EC GRAND Immo VSV)
2020/21: Lukas Piff (spusu Vienna Capitals)
2019/20: Daniel Obersteiner (EC-KAC)
2018/19: Benjamin Nissner (spusu Vienna Capitals)
2017/18: Erik Kirchschläger (EHC LIWEST Black Wings Linz)
2016/17: David Kickert (Vienna Capitals)
2015/16: Libor Sulak (HC Orli Znojmo)
2014/15: Radek Cip (HC Orli Znojmo)
2013/14: Daniel Pastl (EHC LIWEST Black Wings Linz)
2012/13: Patrick Peter (UPC Vienna Capitals)
2011/12: Mario Seidl (UPC Vienna Capitals)
2010/11: John Hughes (HDD TILIA Olimpija Ljubljana)
2009/10: Markus Pirmann (EC-KAC)
2008/09: Thomas Hundertpfund (EC-KAC)
2007/08: Johannes Kirisits (EC-KAC)
2006/07: Philipp Pinter (EC Red Bull Salzburg)

Voting procedure
First, six monthly winners were determined. Four players per month were nominated to take part in the voting. The six monthly winners now competed for the title "Young Star of the 2025/25 season".

The election consisted of two components: in addition to the fan voting on the league website, the TV experts from Austria, Italy and Slovenia also voted. If two or more players received the same number of votes, they were ranked according to the result of the fan vote.