Tom Pokel is the new coach of HC Bozen

Pokel, who was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin (USA) in 1967, began his coaching career in 1995 when he joined Timmendorfer Strand in the German second division. He then went to the Bietigheim Steelers, with whom he managed to get promoted from the third to the second division. In 2001 he made the jump to the DEL to the Schwenninger Wild Wings, where he was initially an assistant coach and after a year was appointed head coach.

In the 2003/04 season, Pokel sat in the coaching bench at Ingolstadt - always in the top German league - before he went to Austria after the championship ended, where he was to stay for five years. The American worked here in the first and second leagues and was also head coach of the Austrian U2007 national team in the 08/18 season.

Pokel's move to Italy In 2009 Pokel crossed the border into the Italian league. With Pontebba the coach made it to the playoffs three times. He failed twice in the quarter-finals against HC Bozen (4:3 in the 2009/10 season and 4:0 in the 2010/11 season), while in the 2011/12 season he ended up at Alleghe (4:2).

Pokel was under contract with Alleghe in the 2012/13 season. With his former employer he made it to the Italian Cup final, which he lost to Valpellice. The quarter-finals of the championship also ended against the club from Piedmont. Here Alleghe lost out after game six.

Tom Pokel has also been the national coach for six months On January 18th, Tom Pokel also took over as head coach of the Italian national team. In February he narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympic Games in Sochi in Bietigheim. At the World Cup in Hungary, he managed to return to Group A with the Blue Team. On Friday, Tom Pokel is supposed to sign his working paper at HC Bozen.

Tom Pokel: It will be a difficult season, but we want to get into the playoffs”

The 45-year-old trainer is looking forward to the new adventure with the white and red. “It’s a dream come true for me. Bolzano is a big name in Italian ice hockey with a long and successful history. If I've made it this far, I have to thank Pontebba and Alleghe. These clubs have allowed me to mature as a coach and gain experience. The EBEL is a big challenge. It will be difficult,” says Tom Pokel.

Now his first task is to put together a competitive team. He examines the market very carefully. “Italian ice hockey is very competitive, but in Austria everything is even more professional. Whoever works hard reaps the rewards and that is why we will work hard to achieve our sporting goals,” continued Pokel, who warns that there will also be phases in which things will not go well. “We will always have to give 100 percent because we face very strong opponents every week in the EBEL.”

When it comes to goals, Bozen's coach has very precise ideas. “Bozen will fight for a place in the playoffs and give everything,” concluded Pokel. Bozen's managing director Dieter Knoll also comments on the future. “We are working hard behind the scenes to ensure we are ready for this adventure. Tom Pokel is an excellent coach and the ideal man for HC Bozen to tackle this undertaking.”

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Tom Pokel is the new coach of HC Bozen

Now it's fixed: Tom Pokel will lead the record champions into their first season in the EBEL. “It is a great honor for me to be able to take over HC Bozen. I'm looking forward to this adventure. It will be a difficult season, our goal is the playoffs.”

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