HCB breathes a sigh of relief: “Now we can think about the squad”

Arno Kompatscher and HCB managing director Dieter Knoll sat at a table for an hour and a half early on Wednesday evening. The audience problem during the corona pandemic was on the agenda. At the end of the conversation, Knoll rejoiced: “This is a good day for HC Bozen. Now we can finally move on to our core business and think about squad planning.” Hargrove and Wierchioch before saying goodbye Knoll's relief is no coincidence, as the state governor has assured him that he will do everything in his power to ensure that the HCB does not have to start the ICE season in an empty hall in the fall. He will set up a commission that will shortly carry out a local inspection of the ice wave and then develop a hygiene concept together with the club management. The chances that 2000 to 3000 of the Eiswelle's 7000 seats will be occupied in the first home game are extremely good. The prerequisites, of course, are that the pandemic is kept at bay, adaptations are made during the ice wave and safety distances are maintained. “It will be complex, but by no means problematic,” said Knoll, who also wants to hold talks with representatives of the fan curve: “Together we will also find a good solution for this area of the stadium. Hundreds of fans standing shoulder to shoulder will no longer happen any time soon.”

There won't be a full wave of ice any time soon, but the HCB's capacity will now benefit.

In conversation with SportNews The HCB boss also reveals that the entire situation is currently demanding everything from him. “After our weekly league conference I was pretty down, so the conversation with the state governor a few hours later was balm for my soul.” In the video conference, the ICE clubs decided to extend the transfer ban until revoked. According to Knoll, the step is unavoidable, as the Austrian clubs in particular have to contend with high requirements and are also demanding a rescue package from the government if Corona also throws a spanner in the works in 2020/21. This is quite understandable using the example of Innsbruck: Since the modern arena in the Olympiaworld has relatively few seats, the capacity is reduced to 400 spectators. A start to the season under these circumstances seems impossible, and not just for the Sharks. “I can put together our entire squad in 14 days” HCB managing director and sports director Dieter Knoll In comparison, HC Bozen has better cards in hand with the ice wave and the cooperation that has now been launched with the state government. “Now we still have to hold important discussions with sponsors and wait for the transfer stop to end,” explains Knoll, who wants to complete personnel planning for the coming season as quickly as possible: “All the players who were in our squad last season and who are still on the market now are, want to come back to us. Leland Irving is also still an issue. There are actually only two exceptions.” Knoll is referring to Colton Hargrove and Patrick Wierchioch. The Texan striker was a top earner last season, but was not completely convincing. His whereabouts are unlikely. The former NHL defender, on the other hand, is hoping for an offer from the KHL; Bolzano is only his second choice. Reduced salaries also in Bolzano Even if Knoll says, “I can put together our entire squad in 14 days,” there are still likely to be tough negotiations. HC Bozen also wants to adapt to the declining salaries in European ice hockey and save 20 to 30 percent in fees with the new contracts. The exception to this would be coach candidate Greg Ireland, for whom the HCB would have to do a lot to keep him in the state capital. There are also discrepancies regarding some contractual clauses. “The chances of him staying are a maximum of 40 percent,” said Knoll, who doesn’t want to let the open coaching question dampen his mood.

ICE Regular Season ICE	SP	TV	P
1. Klagenfurt	47	183:101	102
2. Fehervar	46	146:126	89
3. Salzburg	46	142:107	87
4. HCB South Tyrol	46	137:125	76
5. Linz	46	146:116	75
6. Villach	46	155:136	74
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HCB breathes a sigh of relief: “Now we can think about the squad”

There is great uncertainty in the ice hockey world due to corona: the start of the season is postponed, transfer stops are imposed, salary cuts are decided. In these turbulent weeks of all times, HC Bozen can report positive things. The decisive factor was a meeting with the state governor.

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