A few weeks ago, the U20 team of Félicien Du Bois and Dino Wieser, as well as the U17 team of Jakub Volek and Thomas Wellinger, were in the Czech Republic. The training camp and friendly matches clearly showed what is still lacking, believes the head of development René Müller. “Intensity often eludes us, which is why we have focused on this aspect over the past few weeks. I have already seen significant progress over the last two weeks, and we need to build on this foundation. We need to work on these aspects with perseverance in training and apply them in matches.”
Félicien Du Bois agrees with this assessment regarding the U20s. “Players need to have the desire to win duels, and it starts in training. We are starting the season with a larger squad than last year, which is good, on one hand because it increases competition among players, and on the other hand because it helps cover for absences. But it is also a challenge for us coaches to keep everyone in good spirits, even those who will occasionally be surplus to requirements.” Du Bois speaks of the consistency that is still lacking at the moment. They want to approach the first two matches with healthy confidence, which also means not waiting for the opponent to react but making their presence felt on the ice from the start.
A long-term goal of fast and hard ice hockey
The U17 season kicks off on Sunday under the guidance of coaches Jakub Volek and Thomas Wellinger. Naturally, they too are in a new team configuration, as nearly half of last season’s players have moved up to the U20s. At the same time, players from the U15s are now part of the U17s. “We had good preparation, the season is now beginning, but we see the big picture, the season is long.” Jakub Volek adds that the U17s are also working on the theme of intensity. “We want to play fast hockey, bring great intensity to the ice, be strong in pairs, and continuously perfect our skills.”
During the preparation matches, they have already seen good beginnings in this regard. But to refine this and solidify it long-term, they need to work well and hard consistently.
The U20s will play this Friday against Lausanne in Davos at 8:15 PM, followed by the U17s on Sunday at 3:00 PM. In between, on Saturday, August 31, starting at 12:00 PM, the Season Opening of the HCD will take place.
See the 2024/25 roster of the U20 Elite team of HC Davos