Image: gepa
The 26-year-old ice hockey striker for the Zeller Eisbären surprisingly made it into the Austrian squad and has two special games to play on the first World Cup weekend in Tampere. The dual citizen who grew up in Sweden could make his World Cup debut against France on Saturday (11:20 a.m.) and meet the stars of his home country Sweden on Sunday (7:20 p.m.).
Team boss Roger Bader is known for having players on his list who are not regulars in the ICE league. And give them a real chance. In 2019 Raphael Wolf and 2022 Philipp Wimmer fought for a place in the World Cup squad.
“I’m not one who puts the team together based on the status of the players. I make a decision based on the current situation. I also dare to throw young people in at the deep end and trust them with something, which is sometimes not the case at the club ‘ said Bader.
Convincing preparation
This year, Neubauer took the chance. “I always had him on my radar. In my opinion, he was always underestimated in Austria,” said the Swiss. The call from the team boss reached the striker in Sweden after he had practically ended his season. “I told him you might have to go home after a week, but I’ll give you the chance to show yourself,” said Bader.
With one goal and three assists in eight preparatory games, Neubauer, most recently in a line with Lukas Haudum and Manuel Ganahl, convinced the team boss.
“It was a challenge, a great challenge. I think I took a step every week. I’ve had a lot of hard work, now there’s a great experience at the World Cup,” the 26-year-old told APA about his preparation Reminisce.
From Sweden to Austria
The anticipation of his career highlight is great, especially on Sunday. Neubauer, who played in Sweden’s U17 national team and has also played a few games in the top league SHL, knows some Swedish team players from his time in the youth team at top club Färjestad. “It’s definitely a special game, but I don’t want to think about it too much. I have to be focused on a good performance for Austria,” he said before the duel between the World Cup favorites, who had traveled with nine NHL players.
At the age of 20, Neubauer moved from Sweden to Austria, the home country of his father from Burgenland. “I was faced with the decision of either Austria or the Swedish third division,” he recalled. The former star Tomas Rundqvist, who sensationally won the Euroliga with Feldkirch in 1998, opened the door to Vorarlberg for him.
However, Neubauer did not make a breakthrough either in Dornbirn or with the Vienna Capitals, so in the summer of 2021 he went to Zell/See in the second division. The ICE “was a league with a lot of imports and I was young and didn’t manage to play at my level”, he explains the relegation, which he can definitely gain something from afterwards. “I had a bigger role there and learned a lot,” said Neubauer, whose contract is still valid for next season. But maybe it will arouse the interest of ICE clubs on the big World Cup stage.
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I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
