ERC Ingolstadt announced Swede Tommy Samuelsson as their new head coach for the upcoming hockey season.

CHL News

ERC Ingolstadt named their new head coach on Tuesday afternoon, and its a familiar name to many who have followed hockey in Europe over the years and the first two seasons of the Champions Hockey League – Tommy Samuelsson.

Samuelsson, 56, spent the last two seasons behind the bench of Farjestad Karlstad, the team for which he played as a defenceman for 19 seasons from 1976 to 1995. Previously, he had coached the Vienna Capitals for three seasons.

“Tommy is a coach with a lot of experience in one of the top clubs of European hockey,” Ingolstadt sports director Jiri Ehrenberger said in a club-issued press release. “He fits the profile very well for our organization and our philosophy.”

In last season's CHL, Ingolstadt showed that they like to play run-and-gun hockey as one of the competition's top scoring teams in the group stage, with forwards John Laliberte and Petr Taticek placed 1 and 2 after the preliminary round. They then lost a thrilling two-game series to eventual champions Frolunda Gothenburg in the Round of 32.

“My mentality is to work hard every day with the team,” said Samuelsson, who indicated that he likes the team's style of play. “I am very happy to work with ERC Ingolstadt.”

In fluent German the Swedish coach went on to say, “ERC have a good reputation in Europe. For me, it is interesting to work in Germany. I have observed the league closely for years.” 

Before he works in the DEL, he will lead the Panthers into the CHL's Group D against ZSC Lions Zurich and Lukko Rauma. Ingolstadt's game in Zurich will be one of four on the CHL's opening night, 16 August.