Super talent after super talent: the residents of Vorarlberg provide our ice hockey with jewels

Vorarlberg also produces plenty of ice hockey stars, which the National League clubs have also benefited from for years. Especially since, despite the abundance of clubs on our doorstep, many joined Swiss clubs at junior level, securing the Swiss license and not burdening the foreign contingent.

Ten Vorarlbergers, three remaining Austrians

Seven Vorarlberg residents currently play in the National League: Dominic Zwerger (27, Ambri), Kilian Zündel (22, Ambri), Fabio Hofer (32, Biel), Patrick Obrist (30, Kloten), the Swiss-Austrian dual national Jonas Taibel (19, SCRJ Lakers) and the two super talents David Reinbacher (18, Kloten) and Vinzenz Rohrer (19, ZSC Lions).

Three other Vorarlbergers are also under contract in the Swiss League: Jannick Fröwis (23, Winterthur), Roman Schnetzer (27, Thurgau) and Stefan Müller (27, Visp). The total of ten Vorarlbergers face only three remaining Austrians in Swiss professional ice hockey: Benjamin Baumgartner from Salzburg (23, Bern, also Swiss license), Bernd Wolf from Vienna (26, Lugano, Swiss license) and Michael Raffl from Carinthia (34, Lausanne). , alien status).

There are three Vorarlberg NHL drafts coming soon

It is impressive what Vorarlberg produces in the field of ice hockey. Also in the classroom: With Reinbacher, Rohrer and Marco Rossi (22, currently Minnesota Wild), who were also trained in the Swiss youth academy, three Vorarlbergers have been considered in the NHL draft since 2020. And all this despite immense sporting competition in the state. In football there are two Bundesliga clubs, Altach and Lustenau, and two more in the second highest division, Bregenz and Dornbirn. In addition, snow sports, and of course especially alpine skiing, are also of great importance in Vorarlberg. With figureheads such as two-time Olympic champion Johannes Strolz (31) and two-time world champion Katharina Liensberger (26).

The residents of Vorarlberg are extremely enthusiastic about sports. But it is also about recognition. Because they traditionally have a difficult time in Austria as a border area behind the Arlberg. “We are already far cut off from other parts of Austria,” says Stefan Ulmer (32), another Vorarlberger who, for many, was at home in Swiss ice hockey. year.

Vorarlberg wanted to be a Swiss canton

And the inhabitants of Vorarlberg almost became Swiss 104 years ago. In a vote, 81 percent said they wanted to be part of the Confederation as a canton and say goodbye to Austria. But despite the resounding yes vote, the plug was quickly pulled on the accession negotiations with the Federal Council. The 1919 Peace Treaty of St-Germain-en-Laye near Paris prohibited the states from moving to another country to promote the democratic Republic of Austria.

And so Reinbacher and Co. remained. Austrians and they played in the National League as cross-border commuters with a Swiss license. They are loved here, and not just because of their charming dialect. They are often crowd favorites – such as Zwerger in Ambri, Hofer in Biel and young star Reinbacher in Kloten. “We Vorarlbergers are connoisseurs, that’s why someone like Zwerger likes to play with the fans,” Ulmer explains.

It all started with the Ulmer brothers

Originally, you had to get your first license in Switzerland or have played for the local youth team for five years to get a Swiss license. For many people from Vorarlberg, the first step towards a career in Switzerland was joining the local SC Rheintal at junior level in Widnau SG, near the border. This model was launched by brothers Stefan and Martin Ulmer (35), who started their career in Switzerland from their hometown of Dornbirn via the Rhine Valley. Stefan played for the GCK Lions, Lugano, Biel and La Chaux-de-Fonds. Martin in Kloten, the GCK Lions, Lausanne, Martigny, Biel and Olten.

They owed this to their father Arno Ulmer (59). “He did some research and found out that we would get a Swiss driver’s license if we did the first registration in Switzerland,” says Stefan Ulmer. Initially, Papa Ulmer made no friends in Vorarlberg when he sent his talented sons across the border to the Swiss youth academy. But soon there were imitators, and today he can see himself as the mastermind of a movement that culminated in three NHL drafts. The question is whether this would have been possible if Rossi, Reinbacher and Rohrer had stayed in Austria. “You have to be realistic – the work with young talent in Switzerland is much better than in Austria,” says Stefan Ulmer.

Production stalls

While brother Martin ends his ice hockey career at Innsbruck, Stefan Ulmer resigned last spring and returned to Dornbirn. As a young coach at Rheintal Future, he sometimes ensures that there is a supply of Vorarlberg ice hockey players. However, production has recently come to a standstill. “Corona has put us at a huge disadvantage here,” he complains. Not least for this reason, Dornbirn, Lustenau, Hohenems and Rheintal are now joining forces with this cross-border youth project, which is intended to increase the level of education. “Everyone benefits from this,” says Ulmer.

Moreover, in recent years it has become more difficult to get a place in the youth teams of National League clubs, as many young players from other countries also sign up for such places. “A player has to have that certain thing so that he has a chance,” says Ulmer. And the fact that new licensing rules are being prepared in Switzerland also acts as a deterrent.

New rules are also holding back the residents of Vorarlberg

A foreign child who is registered with us for the first time after the 2010/11 season will no longer automatically receive a Swiss driving license. The Swiss licensed abroad who have played here for five years in the youth academy have a somewhat longer shelf life. But this too will no longer exist in the distant future, at least in the National League. From the 2026/27 season, players with a Swiss license who only played their first season with the Swiss youth team after the 2021/22 season will not be able to play there. They are then only equal to Swiss up to and including U23 level; in the National League they need a foreigner’s license. With these measures, the league wants to protect the Swiss juniors and ultimately the national team. As things stand, the new licensing rules in question do not apply to the Swiss League.

The following jewels from Vorarlberg should have been registered with Rheintal for at least two years, otherwise the doors to a career in the National League with a Swiss license are closed.