By finishing second in the EBEL regular-season standings, Black Wings Linz have earned a B-License for the 2015–16 Champions Hockey League. Manager Christian Perthaler and coach Rob Daum have built an experienced squad that should not only contend for the league title, but also make some noise in the CHL as well.
by Kurt Platter
On 27 February 2015 it became official: EHC Black Wings Linz are in the 2015–16 Champions Hockey League. The club from Upper Austria will join CHL founding members Red Bull Salzburg and Vienna Capitals as the third club from EBEL in Europe's top club hockey competition. A fourth team will be determined in the coming weeks.
“Qualifying for the Champions Hockey League was one of our goals for this season,” says Linz manager Christian Perthaler. “We were all really excited when it became clear that we would be able to compete with the best teams in Europe next season. It is a great honour and a challenge for us.”
Founded in 1992, this will be the first appearance on the international stage for the club from Austria's third largest city after Vienna and Graz. Domestically, Linz have won the Austrian championship twice, in 2003 and 2012. The latter title was the first season Rob Daum was behind the bench, where the Canadian coach remains.
Since winning the title, Linz have made the semi-finals two years running, and now look to make the trip for the third year in a row. Standing in their way in the semi-finals are HC Bolzano, the defending EBEL champions, who are looking to return to the CHL and would stand a chance of doing so by eliminating Linz.
“The CHL is very interesting. Right now, though, our primary focus is on the EBEL playoffs, where we still intend to last for a while,” says the 57-year-old Daum, who is rated among the best coaches in the league by experts.
Daum is a tactician, which usually finds the right recipe for every opponent and every moment. Together with Perthaler, he has formed a team in recent years which might have what it takes to win the third title in the club's history.
Linz is a very experienced team, with a core that has been in tact for four years now. With a stable roster, the Black Wings have built a steady routine with good chemistry both on and off the ice. A strong defensive team, their biggest strength is probably a strong transition game, catching opponents off guard with quick strikes. They are also highly effective on the power play, with two solid units.
Michael Ouzas is an excellent goaltender, who played 45 of 54 regular season games and had the second-best save percentage and goals-against average in the league (.931, 2.20). He is supported by perhaps the best top-four defensive unit in the league, with Sebastien Piche, Marc-André Dorion, Franklin MacDonald and Curtis Murphy forming the pillars on the back end.
The top forward line, consisting of high-scoring wingers Andrew Kozek (32 + 23 = 55), Brian Lebler (35 + 18 = 53) and playmaking centre Rob Hisey (13 + 40 = 53) finished second, third and fifth in EBEL scoring, respectively. In addition to an obviously impressive list of imports, Linz also have many good Austrian players, such as Matthias Iberians, the brothers Robert and Philipp Lukas, Daniel Oberkofler or Fabian Hofer.