This 16-year-old is causing a stir

It's Laura Lobis. She is only 16 years old and comes from Kaltern. Not only is her sporting talent astounding, but also the path she has taken far from home.

The defender with jersey number 13 has impressed with her calm and calmness in the three games so far. Anyone who finds out more about her quickly realizes that Lobis was born with talent. The 3-year-old comes from a sports-loving family. Father Mathias Lobis played as a defender for SV Kaltern, where he was also captain and later president, Ritten Sport and HC Bozen. Mother Miriam Strohmaier was a track and field athlete and still holds the national record for the 16 m hurdles. Their father Herbert Strohmaier was a legend at HC Bozen and captain and national player for Italy for many years. And his brother Alan Lobis, who is two years older, is also well on the way to a career.

Laura Lobis is not interested in her career at the moment: “School has priority. As soon as I graduate, I will think seriously about my future. I would be interested in North America, Sweden or Finland.” A year ago she was about to move to Finland, where her brother has been chasing the hard rubber disc for three years. “I completed a trial training session in Helsinki in February 3 and would have received a contract. “A change fell through, especially for school reasons,” the defender regrets, looking back.

Laura Lobis has also aroused interest beyond national borders. © Max Pattis

Looking for a plan B, Lobis found what he was looking for in Switzerland. “Our national coach Massimo Fedrizzi helped me get a place at HC Ambrì-Piotta Girls. I feel very comfortable there and don't regret the step. “After all, the level is a lot higher than in Italy, which is why I’ve learned a lot in the last few months,” the Kalter native enthuses.

She competes in the Swiss Women's Hockey League A (SWHLA) with Ambrì, with the home games being played in the “Neue Valascia”, also known as the “Gottardo Arena”. The highest women's ice hockey league in Switzerland does not only mean new territory for Lobis. “Ambri was promoted from the SWHLB for the first time last season. We have a very small squad with just 2 lines. I'm often on the ice for up to 45 minutes during games. The competition is very strong and we are currently at the bottom of the table among the 7 teams. It wasn't easy for me at the beginning because everything was new. But I have found my way around better and better and now feel completely comfortable in my new surroundings.” “It is a prejudice that it is a sport for strong men.” Laura Lobis Lobis lives with a host family in Bellinzona and attends the “La Commerciale” high school there, which is equivalent to the business school (WFO) in Bolzano. She spends the morning at school unless she has training. Homework awaits in the afternoon and training 4 evenings a week. Every now and then the cheerful nature even trains with the boys from Bellinzona's U17 or U20 team. She is one of four Italians at the bottom, alongside goalkeeper Elisa Biondi and strikers Rebecca Roccella and Greta Niccolai.

Lobis covers the costs himself “Laura is very talented and has hardly any weaknesses. She is very hard-working, professional and trains very hard – even off the ice. Her problem is that she is very impulsive, sometimes puts too much pressure on herself and wants to tear everything apart. Nevertheless, she has a great future ahead of her,” said U18 national coach Massimo Fedrizzi, attesting to the lively player’s very good testimonials. The 54-year-old from Bolzano also works as an assistant coach for the Elite U17 team of HC Ambrì-Piotta.

The aspiring defensive artist plays for Ambri for free. Their parents have to pay for accommodation with the host family. You can also earn money in women's ice hockey. But you can't make a living from it and, unlike men's ice hockey, you certainly can't get rich. Laura Lobis, like many other girls, didn't pursue ice hockey for the money. “I just enjoy the sport. It's rougher than, for example, ballet. “The idea that it is a sport for strong men is not true and is a prejudice,” says the 16-year-old.

Lobis started playing ice hockey at the age of 7: “In the beginning I played with my brother in the yard with a stick and a small ball before I took my first steps on the ice. In the 2014/15 season I started as a center forward for the SV Kaltern boys team. Because we didn't have enough defenders at one point, I helped out at the back. Since then I have remained on the defensive. In the summer of 2019 I moved to EVB Eagles Südtirol and played in the IHL Women and the EWHL with the Eagles. Last summer I decided to go abroad and ended up with the Ambri girls.”

Lobis played at international level for the first time in October 2021 and played with the “Azzurre” in the two qualifying tournaments for the 2 Olympic Games in Torre Pellice and Füssen, where she was the youngest player among all participants. A year ago, the Swiss export took part in two world championships: at the beginning of April at the U2022 World Cup in Györ, Hungary and immediately afterwards in the title fights with the senior team in Katowice, Poland.

The 2026 Olympics is a big goal Things have been going very well for Italy and also for Lobis so far at the home World Cup in Klobenstein. “It's something special to play at home in front of your own fans. We have a strong team and can go far. But we only think from game to game.” Yesterday, Lobis contributed a goal and an assist to the 2-0 win over France and was named the best player on her team. The early final against Germany is on the program today at 13 p.m.

Lobis not only wants to secure promotion to the top group on Sunday, but also has an even bigger goal: “The 2026 Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina would be a dream. I currently subordinate everything to this major event. First I want to finish school. In 3 years I'll be 20 and hope to be there. It has always been my goal to compete with the best in the world.” In Klobenstein, she is already one of the best.

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This 16-year-old is causing a stir

When hosts Italy are in action at the U18 World Cup in Division I Group A in Klobenstein, a neutral observer immediately notices a female ice hockey player.

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