Rittner ice hockey talent: Julius Ramoser. © det

Following famous footsteps: A Rittner starts abroad

After a short break, the Alps Hockey League will get down to business again from Tuesday: the first semi-final games are coming up. Not only are there two South Tyrolean teams in action, but also a Ritten player who is defending himself against a South Tyrolean triumph.

March 19, 2024

The South Tyrolean teams are causing quite a stir in the Alps Hockey League this year. Four local clubs made it to the quarter-finals, two of them - the Rittner Buam and the Wipptal Broncos - are now in the semi-finals and can dream of bringing the coveted trophy back to the south side of the Brenner for the first time in two years. But of all people, a South Tyrolean wants to prevent that.

Rittner Julius Ramoser is one of the biggest talents in the Red Bull Hockey Juniors squad, who are also in the semi-finals of the AlpsHL. With four goals and four assists in five games, the 22-year-old striker was instrumental in ensuring that the Juniors won the series 4-1 in the quarterfinals against HC Unterland and moved into the semi-finals. The Austrians will meet Cortina there from Tuesday.

The cousin made it to the DEL

Ramoser and Ritten – wasn’t there something there? Exactly! Julius Ramoser's cousin is Joachim Ramoser, one of the best players that South Tyrolean ice hockey has produced in recent years. The striker was one of the few local cracks to make it into the DEL, the top German league, but had to end his career far too early two years ago due to an injury.

Joachim Ramoser (left) also played for Italy's national team. © APA/afp / VLADIMIR SIMICEK

“Of course we hear each other from time to time,” says Julius Ramoser about his cousin, who is seven years older than him, and immediately shares an anecdote: “Joachim and my older brother were also the reason why I started playing ice hockey. When I was very small, I liked to go ice skating when I was hungry or thirsty. When I saw them both playing ice hockey, I was really impressed. I immediately fell in love with this sport.”

After middle school we went to Germany

It quickly became clear to Ramoser that he wanted to try a sporting career. And so after his middle school exams he went abroad. This is where he has the next thing in common with his cousin Joachim: From then on, Julius worked on his career in the youth ranks of the traditional German club Mannheim, just as Joachim had done at the beginning of his career abroad.

Julius Ramoser is a top performer for the Red Bull Hockey Juniors. © GEPA pictures/ Gintare Karpaviciute

Two years ago, Julius got his first taste of adult ice hockey and moved to the DEL2, the second highest league in Germany, where he left a lasting impression with the Heilbronner Falken. Last summer he finally moved to Salzburg to the Red Bull Hockey Juniors - another parallel to cousin Joachim, who also played in Salzburg before he ended up in the DEL in Munich, Ingolstadt and Nuremberg.

A Rittner against Ritten in the final?

Julius Ramoser would also like to take a similar path. “Play as high as possible, that’s my goal,” says the 22-year-old striker, who has repeatedly played in defense in recent years. But now the semi-finals in the Alps Hockey League are coming up. And maybe for Julius Ramoser, who is also doing a distance learning course in interior design, there will be a dream final: If Salzburg advances against Cortina, then the Rittner Buam could be waiting in the final, who will meet Wipptal in their semi-finals. A Rittner against the Rittner, that would be something.