Jan Alston at the Dolomites Cup in Neumarkt. © det

Jan Alston: From small Eppan to the world ice hockey stage

At the tender age of 21, he came from Canada to the tranquil town of Eppan and from there conquered Europe's ice hockey world. Jan Alston has left his mark in South Tyrol. At the Dolomites Cup in Neumarkt, the 54-year-old not only saw old friends again, but also had a conversation with SportNews.

August 23, 2023

When Jan Alston thinks back to his arrival in Appiano today, the local delicacies quickly come to mind. “I ate my first tiramisu here. “I learned here what good coffee tastes like and what good wine is,” says the Canadian with a smile. Alston was able to refresh these tasty memories last weekend: The 54-year-old is the general manager of HC Davos and was visiting Neumarkt with his club, where the Dolomites Cup was taking place. The Swiss record champions came in second.

Of course, it's not just the good food and drink that Jan Alston associates with South Tyrol. Rather, it is ice hockey that is deeply rooted in his memory. His extraordinary European career began in Eppan, in the Italian Serie B. After playing the Canadian junior leagues in his youth, he moved to Überetscher Weindorf in the summer of 1990. Coach at the time: A certain Adolf Insam.

“I only wanted to stay in Europe for a year or two.” Jan Alston

“I was always curious about what it was like in Europe. That's why I made this decision. At first I only wanted to stay here for a year or two and then return to North America.” Those “one or two years” have now turned into more than 30 years.

Out into Europe's big ice hockey world

It quickly became clear that the lightning-fast player with strong playmaking skills was too good for Italian ice hockey - even though it was experiencing a real boom at the time. After stints in Eppan, Vipiteno (both Serie B) and finally in Bruneck and Varese (Series A and Alpine League), Alston moved to EHC Biel in Switzerland in 1994. Davos, Berlin Capitals, Adler Mannheim, ZSC Lions – these are just a few of the stations that were added in the following 15 years.

Old friends: Jan Alston (right) with his former teammate Günther Eder.

The nimble Canadian lived up to his reputation as a goal and points provider almost everywhere. This was also reflected in his palmarès. Alston became world champion with Canada, Swiss champion and Champions League winner with ZSC, two-time Spengler Cup winner with Team Canada and DEL player of the year with Mannheim.

Great career after career

In South Tyrol, however, the striker was not only remembered for his ice hockey qualities. His likeable character and open nature also made him very popular with fans. “Even the opponents raved about him,” says Günther Eder, a former teammate of Alston.

The Canadian also enjoyed a successful career after his sporting career. At Lausanne, his last position as a professional, he became sports manager in 2011 and held this position until 2020. Since summer 2021 he has been working as general manager at HC Davos, one of the largest clubs in Europe. “For me it is a privilege to still be in this business. It's fun to help build the team and plan what the future of a club looks like. We'll see where the journey from Davos goes.” In any case, Jan Alston has long since found his way into the hearts of South Tyrolean fans.