South Tyrol's ice hockey jewel is far from satisfied

Eight South Tyrolean players are currently preparing in Bolzano for the World Championship of Division I Group A, which begins in Romania on April 27. One of them is Tommy Purdeller, who has been the revelation of this season and now wants to crown it with promotion to the A World Championship.

Purdeller made his first acquaintance with professional ice hockey this winter. Until now, the winger, who moved to Salzburg in the summer of 2018 and trained at the renowned Red Bull Academy, has primarily competed in junior ice hockey. In the 2021/22 season, he competed for the Salzburg "Jungbullen" in the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) and, as a 17-year-old, impressed across the board, scoring 35 points (eleven goals) in 32 games.

His strong performances opened the door to North America. Purdeller finally made his breakthrough with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). In the 2022/23 season, the team of former Ritten champion coach Rob Wilson won the John Ross Robertson Cup for the tenth time in club history, but then missed out on their second Memorial Cup triumph after 1979. In the following season, Purdeller was his team's top scorer with 47 points in 63 games before returning to his roots last summer to play in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL) with HC Pustertal.

Tommy Purdeller in the Peterborough Petes jersey.

"The biggest difference was that for the first time in my life, I was facing completely experienced players. In Canada, I sometimes played against kids. With the pros, mistakes are punished mercilessly. The game is also much harder and more precise. The OHL is also fast-paced, and the level is considerably higher than in the AlpsHL. That's why the two years in Peterborough helped me a lot and were good preparation for the ICE," says the burly attacker from Montal. 38 points in 56 ICEHL games Although it was a change for the player himself, it didn't show. He quickly settled in with the pros, mostly playing on one of the two top lines, and repaid the trust placed in him with strong performances: 38 points – including 18 goals – was his impressive tally after 56 games. “I played without pressure and without worry” Tommy Purdeller "I'm glad that our coach Jason Jaspers gave me his trust and a lot of ice time right from the start. This allowed me to gain a lot of experience and play in every situation—whether five-on-five, power play, or shorthanded. I played without pressure and without worry, scoring goals and collecting points. My thanks go to the coaches and my teammates who always supported me," explains Purdeller.

Two awards While coach Jason Jaspers, who "saw the potential in me, gave me the chance, and always helped me," has already extended his contract, it is not yet clear where Purdeller will play next season. "There is a tendency. But no final decision has been made yet," says "Tommy Boy," who celebrated his 21st birthday last Sunday and was recently named a "Young Star" for the 2024/25 season in the ICE, as well as was awarded the Ossi Pircher Prize as young athlete of the year at the Sporthilfe Gala in Merano last Friday.

Tommy Purdeller receiving the award at the Sporthilfe Gala in Merano.

Currently, there are many indications that Purdeller will be competing in his second World Championship in just under two weeks. "After missing out on promotion at the home World Championships in Bolzano a year ago, our desire is even greater this year. Also, or perhaps especially, because of the Olympic Games next year in our own country. It would be great to be involved in the A World Championships again," says the Pustertal striker, who is currently sharing a room with Matthias Mantinger at the Sheraton Hotel, with a view to the title fights in Romania.

To make this happen, "we all have to pull together," says Purdeller, for whom the coaching change plays an important role: "Jalonen is an absolute expert. We can learn a lot from him. He has a wealth of experience and brings a different perspective. He places great importance on small details."

One of six HCP national players After Purdeller was eliminated in the sixth quarter-final match against Klagenfurt with HC Pustertal on March 14, he and the other five potential World Cup participants from HCP, Daniel Glira, Luca Zanatta, Matthias Mantinger, Ivan Deluca and Mikael Frycklund, kept fit every day under the supervision of Renè Baur.

Last Monday, Jalonen led the first practice session at the Sparkasse Arena. "The morning is dedicated to strength training, before a session on the ice at lunch. After lunch at 15 p.m., we have the rest of the day free," says Purdeller, adding: "The training sessions so far have been very varied. Because some of us haven't played a game in a while, we've been skating a lot in the past few days to get back into the swing of things."

Purdeller wants to take the momentum from this year's ICEHL season with him to Romania at the end of April in order to return to the top group with Italy after three years.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Hockey

Tennis

Winter sports

Learn More

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

South Tyrol's ice hockey jewel is far from satisfied

Tommy Purdeller is on everyone's lips these days. Firstly, because his sporting future at HC Pustertal is uncertain. But primarily because he's currently racking up one award after another. And one absolute highlight is still to come.

Comments (0)