“I was expecting, but when the news actually came, I was certainly shocked,” said Leon Sommer of the moment the Steel Wings Linz young goalkeeper learned he was preparing for the first World Cup. He was part of the Austrian ice hockey team. Have a camp

“It’s another big step forward compared to the U20 team, but it’s really cool and everyone is really good,” said the 19-year-old from Linz, describing his first impressions.

Sommer watched the game in front of the television at Steel City in the Czech Republic (1:5), as did his colleagues Wimmer and Wallner, who also stayed at home. On Friday (5:30pm/live ORF Sport+), the third-placed player in the Volksblatt Toptalent 2020 will take a seat on the bench against six-time world champions in their home field – Linz AG Isarena.

“I’m a little nervous, but I’m positively nervous,” says the talented goalkeeper, who awaits the showdown with the Czech Republic in front of many home fans. “The halls in Znojmo had over 4,000 people and they created a really great atmosphere, which would be good in Linz too.”

by Daniel Gruber