Soon, the Intercable Arena will be rocking again. © HC Pustertal

Coaching team and schedule: Pustertal is ready to go

Jason Jaspers and Kohl Schultz led HC Falkensteiner Pustertal to the quarterfinals last season and are back on the bridge this year. But the "team around the team" is, of course, much larger. On Wednesday, the Wolves announced their complete coaching staff—and also their preseason schedule.

August 13, 2025

From: pm/det

Pustertal has confirmed two key players: René Baur will remain as athletics coach, and Thomas Tragust will be the goalkeeping coach. Both have a history with the Wolves as players and have been working in these new roles for HCP for years. There's also news from the athletic management team, where sporting director Patrick Bona is getting a new addition.

Christopher "Oly" Hicks will become part of the Wolves family and, as a consultant, will contribute his expertise and experience to the HCP's sporting activities. The Canadian has been active in local ice hockey for almost two decades, both as a coach and sporting director in the professional and primarily youth sectors, and previously worked for HCP in the 2013/14 season. As a sporting consultant to the Alps Ice Academy and the HCP's farm team (Bruneck-Sterzing-Brixen), Hicks has already assumed a highly responsible role in the past. This role will now be expanded.

The Wolves are already working hard for the new season.

Pustertal is now eagerly awaiting the start of the season. The new team is now presenting itself at its first official events. The first of these has already become a tradition: the official opening practice with the entire team at the Intercable Arena. On Thursday, August 14, at 18.30:XNUMX p.m., the Wolves, led by Jason Jaspers and his coaching staff, will take to the ice and conduct a training session in front of a traditionally good crowd. Afterwards, there will be a meet-and-greet in front of the "Go West" area of the Intercable Arena.

Top-class test matches

Just a few days after the start of training, the first friendly match is already underway. It's a real eye-catcher: HC Škoda Plzen – a traditional Czech first-division club – is coming to Bruneck. For HCP, it's their first test of their team's performance, and for their opponents, it's already their third match of the preseason. Kickoff for this top-of-the-range match is at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, August 20th.

There is currently a lot of team building on the agenda.

The HCP then travels to Latsch for the Vinschgau Cup, where two tough test match opponents await: the Straubing Tigers and ERC Ingolstadt, on August 23rd and 24th, respectively. The following weekend, the Wolves will face the Ice Tigers in Nuremberg (August 30th), and the following day, they will face the traditional Bavarian club in Landshut (August 31st). The preseason concludes on September 5th with the second home test match against farm team partner Wipptal, before the HCP kicks off the new ICEHL season with the Tyrolean derby in Innsbruck on September 12th.