The Finalissima against Biel was a nerve-wracking affair not only for the fans of the EVZ U20 Elite team. The staff members’ fingernails also suffered last weekend. Zug lost the first game 3-0 and trailed 3-0 in the second before turning the game around and winning the championship thanks to Tim Muggli’s overtimetor. «What the boys have achieved is phenomenal. I’m proud of them,» says Ted Suihkonen, Head of Development as part of The Hockey Academy training concept.
It is said that you learn more from defeats than from victories. When asked about this, Ted Suihkonen laughs and says: «I prefer to win. Experiences like the one at the weekend help the players develop a winning mentality.» This was also what characterized the team during the regular season. «In October, the team was still in 11th place in the table, but then worked hard and won the qualifiers,» he explains.
Ted Suihkonen, Head of Development at EVZ, looks back on the seasons of the U20 Elite and U17 Elite teams with pride.
However, he is not only proud of the championship-winning team, but also of the teamwork with the U17 Elite team led by coach Sven Lindemann (which won championship bronze) and the National League team. «We’ve had a lot of injured defenders this season and a lot of guys have had to step in at short notice. The integration into the next team up went smoothly.»
Ted Suihkonen cites Leon Muggli as a role model for the EVZ talents. The defender has earned himself a regular spot in the NL team at the age of 17. «Despite his young age, he already behaves like a professional and has remained modest. The fact that he cheered on his former teammates from the U20 Elite and U17 Elite teams when time allowed illustrates his grounded nature.»
Despite the successes, Ted Suihkonen says that the organization can always improve in the area of training. «Be it in the on-ice or off-ice area, for example with topics such as regeneration and coordination with the school at OYM College.» Speaking of which: the OYM Campus in Cham will open in August. For the Head of Development, this is the next step on the road to the big goal: «We want to become the best training club in Europe, if not the world.»
