What was good, what wasn't? Pustertal's sports director takes stock

In the following interview, Pustertal's sports director Patrick Bona looks back on the past season and gives an outlook on the 2025/26 season.

What is your assessment of HC Pustertal’s 4th season in the ICEHL?

Patrick Bona: "Positive. I'm satisfied because in our fourth year in the league, we've reached the playoffs for the third time, thus achieving our season goal. We already knew in the summer that it wouldn't be easy, as we had decided to make a radical change to our squad. The budget cuts also affected the quality of our foreign players. And yet, we ended up among the top eight teams in the league and can now head off on holiday with our heads held high."

What grade would you give HC Pustertal?

Bona: "Good question. I'd give us a 7/8. It's been a rollercoaster ride with many ups and downs. Some things were very good, others less so."

Pustertal's sports director Patrick Bona.

What are you proud of?

Bona: "On the one hand, I'm proud of the strong team spirit. On the other hand, I'm proud of the performance of some players, like Tommy Purdeller. We gave him the chance, and he more than made the most of it. Like others, too. I'm thinking of Daniel Glira, who had a solid season and was a fixture in our back line. But I'm also proud that we didn't change coaches for the first time, and that Jason Jaspers survived the season (laughs). We want to ensure a cultural change not only with the coach, but also with continuity in other areas."

What annoyed you?

Bona: "Our team's inconsistency was frustrating. There was a strange dynamic within the team: it was either great or terrible, top or flop. There was no such thing as mediocrity."

What was your personal highlight?

Bona: "There were several. Advancing to the playoffs and every sold-out home game were special. The Intercable Arena was packed to capacity eight times. We also had an average of 2600 spectators per home game. The turnout and loyalty of our fans was tremendous. Of course, the derby victory against HCB Südtirol was also a highlight."

Tommy Purdeller (right) was the big discovery at HCP.

And what was your personal low point?

Bona: "The eight consecutive defeats in November. We were on a good run, which was halted by the international break. The first league break came at a very unfortunate time for us. After the resumption of play, we didn't play badly at first, but we lost. After that, we slipped into a mini-crisis until the next break."

Which player surprised you the most, which disappointed you the most?

Bona: "There were several players who surprised us or made a positive impression. One of them was certainly Tommy Purdeller. Goalkeeper Olivier Roy's performance, on the other hand, was disappointing. He didn't live up to expectations."

What do you want to do better next season?

Bona: "Our performance over the last four years is quite impressive. In the 4/2023 season, we even reached the semifinals. I'm trying to improve year after year. One goal will be to bring in even better foreign players, integrate young players, and develop the local players."

Pustertal coach Jason Jaspers (right): Everyone in Pustertal is satisfied with his work.

Will Jason Jaspers and Kohl Schultz be behind the HCP bench again next season?

Bona: "We were pleased with them. They did a very good job. Chances are good that we'll see both of them on the bench in Bruneck next year."

What about the players: Will there be another upheaval?

Bona: "I can't say yet. We'll first recover from these stressful and exhausting weeks. After that, we'll analyze everything thoroughly and make the next decisions. The exit meetings are scheduled for the next few days. We'll try to keep some players, others won't receive a contract, and still others will probably leave the club of their own accord."

When can fans expect news?

Bona: "As far as the team for the coming season is concerned, we're already working on it. It won't be too long before we have some initial news."

The top four teams from the regular season—Klagenfurt, Salzburg, HCB Südtirol, and Linz—are represented in the semifinals. Who will be crowned champions and why?

Bona: "That's not an easy question to answer. In my opinion, all four teams can become champions. After all, all four have been at the top all season. In the end, the little things will make the difference."

ICE Regular Season ICE	SP	TV	P
1. EC Klagenfurt	48	183:121	97
2. EC Salzburg	48	173:130	95
3. HCB South Tyrol	48	155:113	93
4. Linz	48	155:121	88
5. EC Villach	48	173:143	86
6. Graz99ers	48	149:121	86
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What was good, what wasn't? Pustertal's sports director takes stock

On Friday, the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL) season came to an end for HC Pustertal. The Wolves lost the quarterfinal series to Klagenfurter AC, who had already ended Pustertal's season in the semifinals a year ago. What's the assessment of the Bruneck team? We asked the sports director.

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