Release from 17.03.2026

Voting for the Young Star of the 2025/26 season

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The voting for the Young Star of the Season 2025/26 is now open. Fans can vote for the season winner until Sunday, March 22 at 23:59. The six monthly winners are up for selection. Three players from EC-KAC are nominated, along with one player each from EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV, HC Falkensteiner Pustertal, and the Steinbach Black Wings Linz.

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From the previous monthly winners, fans and TV experts from Austria, Italy, and Slovenia will once again determine the season winner. In case of a tie, the better placement in the fan vote will decide.

The following six young players born in 2004 or later are nominated.

Paul Sintschnig (EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV) | September Winner
The 17-year-old Paul Sintschnig made his debut in the win2day ICE Hockey League at the start of the season and did not need long to score his first goal. In an 8:3 road win for EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV in Linz, the Carinthian forward opened the scoring and also netted the final goal to make it 8:3. At the time only 16 years old, he became the second-youngest goal scorer since the league’s relaunch and the youngest player in league history to score twice in a game. As a result, he was named Young Star of the Month and became the first player to qualify for the season vote. So far this season, Sintschnig has recorded seven points in 33 appearances.

Tommy Purdeller (HC Falkensteiner Pustertal) | October Winner
Tommy Purdeller is the reigning Young Star of the Season and now has the chance to become the first player to successfully defend the title as the league’s best young player. The 21-year-old secured his place in the season vote by winning the October award. With four goals and one assist — including a game-winning goal — Purdeller impressed throughout the month. However, the forward has been in excellent form not only in October but throughout the entire season. In 49 games so far, he has already collected 35 points (17G | 18A).

David Waschnig (EC-KAC) | November Winner
David Waschnig stood out in November with a two-goal performance and an assist in EC-KAC’s 6:2 home win over the Pioneers Vorarlberg. The left-handed forward also added an assist in an away game in Innsbruck. Overall, Waschnig posted a +3 plus/minus rating during the month and was therefore named Young Star of November. The 18-year-old is currently playing his first full season with EC-KAC’s professional team and has recorded nine points in 45 appearances so far.

Johannes Dobrovolny (EC-KAC) | December Winner
17-year-old Johannes Dobrovolny made his league debut for EC-KAC this season. In 30 appearances so far, he has recorded five points. In his 18th league game on December 28 against Vienna, Dobrovolny scored his first goal after registering an assist just one day earlier in the derby against Villach. In the final game of the month in Ljubljana, the Austrian U20 national team player scored again, extending his scoring streak to three consecutive games. These strong performances earned the Klagenfurt native the Young Star of the Month award for December.

Filip Simovic (EC-KAC) | January Winner
Defenseman Filip Simovic is playing his first season with EC-KAC’s professional roster. On January 3, the Canadian scored his first professional goal in a 4:1 road win in Innsbruck. Later in the month, he also found the back of the net in a 3:2 overtime home win against Fehérvár, which helped him earn the Young Star of January award. The 1.78-meter defenseman has appeared in 30 games for the KAC’s first team so far this season.

Jonathan Oschgan (Steinbach Black Wings Linz) | February Winner
17-year-old Jonathan Oschgan played his first season with the Steinbach Black Wings Linz professional team. In 32 appearances, the forward recorded eight points (5G | 3A). His personal highlight came in the penultimate game of the regular season, when he scored the game-opening goal in a road game against FTC-Telekom to send the Black Wings into the Pre-Playoffs. In February, the center also scored another goal in a home game against Vienna and was subsequently named Young Star of the Month.

>> VOTE NOW <<

Voting Procedure
A total of six monthly winners were determined over the course of the season. Each month, four players were nominated and put to a public vote. The six monthly winners will now compete for the overall title of Young Star of the Season 2025/26.

The final results are based on two components: the fan voting on the league’s website and the votes from TV experts in Austria, Italy and Slovenia. In the event of a tie, the ranking will be decided by the results of the fan vote.

Monthly winner Young Star election 2025/26:
Paul Sintschnig (VSV) | September
Tommy Purdeller (HCP) | October
David Waschnig (KAC) | November
Johannes Dobrovolny (KAC) | December
Filip Simovic (KAC) | January
Jonathan Oschgan (BWL) | February