HC Pustertal's standout player: Cole Bardreau. © Thomas Debelyak

Pustertal's star: The man who played with a broken neck

HC Pustertal is captivating the ICE Hockey League – and one player in particular stands out. Cole Bardreau is the season's breakout star. And a star player who brings a truly moving story to Bruneck.

03 December 2025

A scratch on his nose, a small cut below his lip, a piece of thread dangling from the patched wound: Even before we exchange a few words with our conversation partner in the Intercable Arena, what every Pustertal fan has already witnessed in the stadium over the past few weeks is essentially confirmed. Before us stands a player who fears nothing and no one on the ice. A player who would go through fire for his teammates. A player with pure leadership in his veins. Yes, before us stands Cole Bardreau, perhaps the most influential player of HC Pustertal's simply outstanding season so far.

This summer, the 32-year-old from New York State took the plunge and crossed the Atlantic for the first time, landing – directly from the American Hockey League – in the Puster Valley's Wolfpack. And from there, he quickly won the hearts of the Puster Valley fans. With his passionate playing style on the one hand, and his pronounced scoring instinct on the other (27 points in 23 games), Bardreau has proven to be a real stroke of luck. And the feeling is mutual. "It's even better here than my best friend Reece Willcox told me it would be," he said. Willcox played for the Wolves from 2021 to 2023, but also spent many years of his life on the team with Bardreau. The two are not only best friends, but also business partners, renting out apartments in North America.

A symbolic image: Bardreau as leader of the jubilant Puster Valley troops. © HCP / Iwan Foppa

Willcox is now enjoying his well-deserved retirement from ice hockey, while Bardreau is still far from that. Nevertheless, he can already look back on an eventful career. A career that made the Puster Valley forward a mainstay of the American Hockey League, the second-highest league in North America, with almost 600 games played. A career that propelled the 32-year-old all the way to the ice hockey pinnacle known as the NHL. A career that also repeatedly threw major obstacles in Bardreau's path, which the resilient player had to overcome with all his fighting spirit.

The misfortune that turned his life upside down

And so, the events of January 2013 are particularly etched in Bardreau's memory. At that time, not only his career but also his health was in acute danger. "I broke my neck during a match," says Bardreau in a surprisingly matter-of-fact tone. Only by sheer luck did the striker from Puster Valley escape paralysis.

Bardreau (left) has always been a fearless cracker. © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / TIM NWACHUKWU

“I still remember what an intense emotional rollercoaster it was. I was 20 years old at the time and had more self-confidence than ever before. I won the gold medal with the USA at the U20 World Championship, was one of the assistant captains, played well, and scored goals. I thought: Now I'm going to get drafted,” said Bardreau. But then the fateful incident occurred.

"As an ice hockey player, you just grit your teeth." Cole Bardreau

Bardreau returned to his college team, Cornell University, after this huge World Championship victory. But in his first game back home, the Puster Valley star was checked from behind, headfirst into the boards, just minutes into the game. "I immediately felt my fingers go a little numb, but I thought it was nothing serious. As a hockey player, you just grit your teeth," said Bardreau, who finished the game despite the incident. It wasn't until the next day, during an examination at the hospital, that the full extent of the injury became clear. "I fractured two cervical vertebrae," Bardreau explained. Because the spinal cord and nerves run through this region, it's a very serious injury where any wrong move could have fatal consequences.

From near-career end to the NHL

“It was a devastating diagnosis. I was heartbroken, especially because the doctor told me I'd probably never be able to play hockey again,” recalls Bardreau, who then had to wear a stiff neck brace for four months – day and night. “It was a very tough time, as I'm naturally athletic, always want to be doing something, and suddenly had to spend so much time at home. But with each passing day, my confidence grew that I could still make it back onto the ice,” says Bardreau. And finally, after nine months of rest, anxiety, and rehabilitation, the forward actually received the green light from the doctors. “When I made my comeback, it was the best feeling ever. I was simply grateful.”

This is how Bardreau was celebrated after scoring his first NHL goal. © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AL BELLO

The fearless Bardreau was back in the game. However, this injury caused him to miss his final opportunity to be selected by an NHL team in the prestigious draft. It's fitting for the American's career and character, though, that he still fought his way into the best league in the world, playing a total of eleven games for the New York Islanders in 2019 and 2022.

"The NHL was a dream come true." Cole Bardreau

The fact that Bardreau made it to the best league in the world makes him especially proud. "After this rollercoaster ride, after this mental and physical pain, it was my reward, a dream come true. Just like my first NHL goal, which I scored with a poorly taken penalty shot," Bardreau laughs.

Title dreams in the Puster Valley

After these adventurous career stops, the American, who recently completed his studies in sports psychology, finally landed at HC Pustertal in the summer. There, he's not only the big star, but he's also making an entire valley dream. "The championship title? Why not! I think we have the team and the chance to achieve it." If anyone knows that anything is possible, it's him: Cole Bardreau.

ICE Hockey League, Wednesday's games

Graz99ers – Vienna Capitals (6:30 p.m.)
FTC Telekom – Red Bull Salzburg
Villacher SV – HC Bozen (19.15:XNUMX p.m.)
Fehervar AV – Olimpija Ljubljana
Black Wings Linz – HC Innsbruck
HC Pustertal – Klagenfurter AC (19.45:XNUMX p.m.)