Rising star Pascal Brunner: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

He comes from an ice hockey-loving family and is the youngest field player on the Italy team at the World Cup in Nottingham. Pascal Brunner will be 21 in just over a month. He is the son of the former national striker Markus Brunner and the grandson of the former long-term president of HC Meran, Hansjörg Brunner, who died in September 2020.

That's why it comes as no surprise that Pascal, the youngest of the Brunner dynasty, is chasing hard rubber discs. “I started playing ice hockey when I was 4 years old. At the beginning I didn't like it at all because I kept slipping and falling on the ice. Even though my parents never put any pressure on me, I didn't give up and when I got my first equipment, I really enjoyed the sport," the winger remembers of his beginnings.

After middle school we went to Switzerland Brunner was 5 years old at the time. The Merano native learned a lot from Alex Aufderklamm, who accompanied him as a coach from the U8 to the U12. “When I was 13 years old, I took part in a HC Davos training camp in the summer. This was arranged by Bruno Aegerter, who was previously a coach in Meran and then a scout in Davos. A year later and after finishing middle school, I was accepted into the HCD’s youth department,” says the 1,88 meter Laggl proudly.

Under Czech Jakub Volek, Brunner took part in the Swiss U15, U17 and U20 championships. In the 2016/17 season he won the U17 elite novice championship title with Davos. After 3 years he moved to SC Bern, with whom he played in the U20 championship.

Don’t back down: Pascal Brunner (right). © CarolaFabriziaSemino

In spring 2021, Aegerter guided him to EHC Visp in the Swiss League. “There was a screening training session there in which more than 60 players took part. In the end, 2 actors were selected. I was one of them. The other was my friend Finn Fuchs, who I had already played with in Bern. But I never really got a chance at Visp. Because the club was very ambitious and wanted to be at the forefront, it was very difficult for the young players,” says Brunner, looking back on what was anything but an easy year for him.

Back to HC Meran Although he still had one year left on his contract and had also completed pre-season training with Visp, Brunner decided to return home in the fall of last year after 6 years in Switzerland due to a lack of prospects. To this day he doesn't regret this step. On the contrary: “It was the right decision. I am very grateful to HC Meran for giving me this opportunity.”

At the beginning of this year, Brunner received a call from HCB Südtirol, with whom his father Markus had already won the Italian championship title. After a few training sessions, the talent, whose stature and running game brings back memories of his father, celebrated his debut in the white and red jersey and was able to play across the board in the 3 games within 5 days against Graz, HC Pustertal and Fehervar convince. The reward: HCB coach Glen Hanlon also used the attacker in three finals against Salzburg. “During the first EBEL triumph in Bolzano, I sat in the stands with my grandfather during two finals.” Pascal Brunner “When I stepped onto the ice at the Sparkasse Arena for the 1st and 3rd finals, I thought of my grandfather Hansjörg. After all, 9 years ago I was able to watch two finals with him from the stands during the first Bozen EBEL triumph. “Grandpa always supported me, often watched me play and once even came to Davos,” said the 2-year-old, describing his grandfather, who was president of the HCM for 20 years and led it to two Italian championship titles in 28 and 1986 closed in his heart.

Professional ice hockey player and bartender Brunner made his debut for the Italian national team in November last year. He made a big impression at the Euro Ice Hockey Challenge in Budapest and got on the top scorer's list in what was only his third international match in a 3:4 nP win over France, which meant winning the tournament, and also converted an ice-cold penalty.

And in the four World Cup games so far, the striker, who can usually be found working as a bartender behind the bar at his parents' restaurant “Saxifraga”, was one of the few bright spots. In his first World Cup game he appeared as a goalscorer in the 4-1 win over Romania last Saturday. After the mixed performances so far, Brunner is hoping for a conciliatory World Cup conclusion this evening: “If we play the way we can, then we have a good chance of getting promoted.” No matter what happens today: One of the newcomers this winter is Pascal Brunner himself.

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Rising star Pascal Brunner: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

At HC Meran and HC Bozen, Pascal Brunner became a rising star of the ice hockey winter. Now the 20-year-old is also part of the national team with which he is contesting the World Cup in Great Britain. We took a closer look at the young striker with the special story.

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