South Tyrol as a harbinger of a great career

Child prodigies are increasingly making headlines in the sports world. Skiing legend Mikaela Shiffrin, tennis record-breaker Carlos Alcaraz, and ice hockey genius Connor McDavid were already being reported on in middle school. These so-called enfants prodiges – they fascinate. In the quest to mold these kids into champions, they are often treated roughly. Coaches, managers – and even parents – have no scruples. As a result, the pressure placed on these future stars is enormous. Many talents are burned out. The dream of a great career – it bursts early. But this pressure simply bounced off the aforementioned sports greats. They are exceptional figures in their field, almost gods, who are worshipped.

But why this digression? Well, from May 5th to 9th, the World Selects Invitational took place at the Sparkasse Arena in Bolzano and the WürthArena in Neumarkt. Twelve-year-old talents from all corners of the globe competed against each other: from Russians and North Americans to Scandinavians and Central Europeans. Anyone who caught a glimpse of these young ice hockey stars should take note of their names. There's a good chance that some of these prodigies are among them. Several participants in this tournament will be competing at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland.

These stars played in South Tyrol as kids I still remember the first WSI tournament vividly because, as a 12-year-old boy, I participated with a South Tyrolean delegation. While four drubbings in five games and a goal differential of -27 were frustrating and eye-opening back then, 14 years later, I feel a different way: disbelief. Disbelief that my former opponents are now world-class. Martin Necas of the Czech Republic, star of the Colorado Avalanche and a 2024 World Championship hero, scored two goals against us South Tyroleans. Miro Heiskanen, one of the best defensemen in the world, was outstanding for Finland. And Robert Thomas was also there. The 26-year-old Canadian has already won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues, has amassed 486 points in the NHL, and is playing his first World Championship with the Maple Leafs in Fribourg.

Thirteen years ago, Martin Necas dazzled a South Tyrolean selection. © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / MATTHEW STOCKMAN

Thomas, Heiskanen, and Necas are just three prominent names from a long list of players who left a lasting impression in South Tyrol even as children: starting with Damian Clara, through Connor Bedard, to the 2004 cohort, which was truly remarkable: Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson (both Montreal Canadiens), and Clara's Anaheim Ducks teammates, Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, are now among the elite of the sport. However, the championships in Switzerland will take place, or rather begin, without this quartet, as they were all still playing in the NHL playoffs. Two local players from the same WSI tournament are, however, present in Fribourg: Tommaso De Luca and Alessandro Segafredo.

Neither Slafkovsky, Hutson, nor Carlsson possess the star power of 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini. Ranked "only" twelfth in scoring at the 2018 WSI in Bolzano, the Vancouver teenager is now one of the most dominant figures in world hockey. The first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft amassed a staggering 115 points last season with the San Jose Sharks. At the Milan Olympics, Celebrini was the second-youngest player in the tournament, yet the Canadian prodigy became the tournament's top scorer with five goals.

Crosby's grand gesture Since then, Celebrini's reputation has skyrocketed. His appointment as captain before the World Championship comes as no surprise – especially considering he was up against two seasoned veterans, John Tavares and Ryan O'Reilly, with a combined 2.700 NHL games under their belts. Even hockey legend Sidney Crosby graciously ceded the captaincy to the youngster. The 38-year-old was called up as a late addition to the roster and is now chasing his first World Championship title since 2015. Celebrini, who once described the tournament in Bolzano as a "really cool experience," is focused on his first major victory with his home country.

The gold medal quest began for the most prominent duo of these championships with yesterday's 4-2 victory against Sweden, whose ranks also include two players, the super talents Anton Frondell and Ivar Stenberg, who once made a name for themselves in South Tyrol. Today, the Canadian armada, led by the South Tyrol experts Celebrini and Thomas, faces the Azzurri, who are promptly confronted with a Herculean task in their tournament debut.

One thing is certain: a look at the player list of this year's WSI tournament is worthwhile. Perhaps in ten years, some of these talents will no longer be playing in front of a handful of parents at the Sparkasse Arena, but in the biggest arenas in the world. Perhaps South Tyrol was an important stepping stone on the way to a world-class career. Only the future will reveal whether that is indeed the case.

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South Tyrol as a harbinger of a great career

The Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland was officially opened on Friday with Switzerland's opening game in Zurich. Earlier, in Fribourg, the powerhouses Canada and Sweden faced off. Among the superstars were numerous players who had already been chasing the puck in South Tyrol.

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