The Czech origin of head coach/director of player personnel Thomas Dolak reflects on the squad: 11 players were born in Eastern Europe, whereas the rest of the DEL teams – except for Düsseldorf and Hannover – are dominated by North American imports. Veterans Bedrich Scerban, Vadim Slivchenko, Leo Stefan, Sergej Stas and backup netminder Thomas Jetter are the only players with DEL experience. Dolak decided to make a major personnel change and kept only eight players from last year’s Div-2 championship squad, including nifty wingman Petr Mares. Jiri Zelenka and former ECHL goalgetter Dany Bousquet head a dozen league newcomers.
COACHING: Thomas Dolak works as head coach and director of player personnel. Dolak first came to Freiburg as a player in 1983 and appeared in 375 games in the German Bundesliga. He is the father of Hannover Scorpions forward Thomas Dolak jr. The 51-year-also started his head coaching career in Freiburg, as a player/coach in 1993. After a short stint in Bietigheim, he returned to the Wölfe in 2002 and let them to the Div-2 championship.. The Czech is known for his offense-first philosophy, which will be part of his game plan in the DEL, too.
GOALTENDERS: Starting netminder
Rostislav “Hugo” Haas enters his seventh season in Freiburg. The 34-year-old Czech is a typical butterfly goalie. Last season’s GAA of 2.94 might be a little misleading as Haas was often facing 40 to 50 shots per game as a result of Freiburg’s offensive approach to the game. The fan favorite will be backed up
Thomas Jetter, who was inactive last year. A former Freiburg junior, Jetter made his DEL debut with the Revier Löwen Oberhausen in 2000-01, recording a .868 save percentage and 4,43 GAA in four appearances.
DEFENSEMEN: Dolak’s offensive-minded game plan will put a lot of pressure on Freiburg’s defense. Coming off a championship season with the Krefeld Pinguine, Belorussian
Sergej Stas, brings six years of DEL experience, versatility and sound offensive instincts. The 29-year-old, who has participated in several World Championships and the Olympics, was mainly used as a fourth line wingman in Krefeld. It remains to be seen if the rest of the pack can make the transition from Division-2 to the DEL. Czech
Michael Vasicek, 24, does not shy away from physical play and is probably one of the best hitters in the team. German
Rudi Gorgenländer, 29, is a true stay-at-home defender.
Question marks: Bedrich Scerban, 39, who was expected to lead the unit, will be out indefinitely with a ligament injury. At 5’8”, 176 lbs, the Czech veteran is known for his vision and play-making abilities, especially his smart outlet passes, which make up for a lack of physical presence. Scerban, who was part of Czechoslovakia’s Bronze-medal team at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, consistently put up good numbers in Division-2 where he had a career season last year with 56 points (7G, 49A) in 56 games. His production went down significantly in his only DEL campaign though where he tallied 19 points (3G, 16A) in 53 games with the Essen Moskitos in 1999-2000. At 6’6”, 220 lbs., Canadian
Adam Smith was expected to add physical presence to the Wölfe defense. The 26-year-old did not make the final roster cut, but was allowed to stay on the practice squad.
Players to watch: German youngsters David Danner, 20, and Bastian Steingroß, 21, both bring a lot of assets. If given enough ice time, playing in the top division might significantly improve their game.
FORWARDS: Center
Dany Bousquet is the only Canadian forward on the Wölfe roster. A regular top-scorer in the ECHL since the mid-90’s, the 30-year-old hopes to follow in Scott King’s footsteps, who made a successful transition from the ECHL to the DEL in Iserlohn two years ago. Bousquet is already accustomed to the larger European ice surfaces: Last season, the Montreal-native was third in scoring in the Italian Seria A, notching 50 points (31G, 19A) in 32 games for the Asiago Lions. Czech
Jiri Zelenka, 31, has been a highly productive winger for Sparta Prague of the Czech Extraliga over the last decade. His only stint abroad – with Espoo Blues in Finland in 2001-02 – was very short-lived, though. Fellow-countryman Petr Mares is a very quick and nifty winger who was one of Freiburg’s top players in Division-2, notching 73 points (28G, 45A) in 47 regular season games. Slovak
Juraj Faith is a very similar player. Wingers
Leo Stefanand
Vadim Slivchenko, both 33, are the only forwards with DEL experience. The German Stefan, who enters his eighth season in the DEL, has excellent technical skills and can be a solid second or third line winger. After breaking into the league with 53- and 49-point seasons, Slivchenko’s production dropped to 22 points (10G, 12A) in 45 games last year. But the Ukrainian was still one of the few bright spots for the struggling Schwenninger Wild Wings. Russian veteran
Ravil Khaydarov, 36, a consistent goalgetter in Division-2, is expected to add veteran leadership. Dolak thought he had found an adequate replacement for last year’s team-leading scorer Steve Palmer when he signed Andrej Podkonicky from DEL rival Iserlohn Roosters. However the Slovakian center, who made his NHL debut with the Florida Panthers in 2000-01, then decided to give the NHL another try and went to camp with the Washington Capitals. Fellow-countryman Petr Korinek, 36, who led the Slovak League in assists last season, was released after a disappointing pre-season. 29-year-old French journeyman
Olivier Coqueux, who played his junior hockey in Canada and is known as a good two-way center, was a late signing and might need some time to adjust.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Freiburg has a talented offense, but Dolak’s offensive mentality might backfire quickly. Goaltending and the defensive unit are the soft spots. It will also be interesting to see if the technically skilled Eastern European players can prevail in a league dominated by a physical, North American style of hockey.
WÖLFE DATALosses G Torsten Troxler (ESV Hügelsheim/Div-4), D Martin Walter (Hamburg Freezers), D Vadim Finko (tbd), F Steve Palmer (Kölner Haie), F Dan Del Monte (REV Bremerhaven/Div-3), F Dion Del Monte (SC Bietigheim-Bissingen/Div-2), F Björn Bombis (Hannover Scorpions), F Robert Brezina (SC Bietigheim-Bissingen/Div-2), F Alexander Andrievski (tbd), Jiri Cihlar (tbd), F Anton Bauer (tbd), F Tomas Valasek (Head coach Freiburg Juniors).
Additions: G Thomas Jetter (inactive/Revier Löwen Oberhausen), D Rudi Gorgenländer (EV Regensburg/Div-2), D Sergej Stas (Krefeld Pinguine), D Matt Smith (Wheeling Nailers/ECHL), F Michael Filobok (SC Bietigheim/Div-2), F Petr Korinek (HKM Zvolen/Slovakia) F Jiri Zelenka (Sparta Prag/Czech Republik), F Vadim Slivchenko (Schwenninger Wild Wings), F Dany Bousquet (Asiago Lions/Italy), F Leo Stefan (Düsseldorfer EG Metro Stars), F Dusan Frosch (Hradec Karlove/Czech Republic), F Juraj Faith (HC Mulhouse Scorpions/France).
First season in DEL: 2003-04
Last time team missed playoffs: -
DEL championships: -
Year-by-year record (reg. season/playoffs): 2001-02 (Div-2 10/-), 2002-03 (Div-2 7/champions).
Home ice (capacity): Franz-Siegel-Halle, Freiburg (5,800)
Team offices: Freiburger Wölfe, Ensisheimerstr. 1, D-79110 Freiburg, Germany, ++49 7679050
Web: www.ehcf.de
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