The German U-20 national team has to play the first two World Cup games in Edmonton, Canada with a rump squad. Because after further tests and examinations on December 24th, a ninth player tested positive for the corona virus.
Hope in the German mini squad at the beginning of the U-20 World Cup: Tim Stützle.
picture alliance
–
After arriving from Germany, the DEB team had eight test results that were positive, so that a large part of the team in the “bubble” in Edmonton immediately had to go into quarantine. After another positive test on Thursday, it was decided that the ninth player who tested positive must remain in quarantine until January 4th – the day of the semi-finals of the tournament. For three of the eight players who previously tested positive, the quarantine ends on December 27, for the remaining five on December 29.
It is therefore clear that the German team will be able to play the two opening games against Finland on Saturday night (midnight) and hosts Canada (Sunday, midnight) with only three rows of storms and only five defenders. The German top talent Tim Stützle will therefore be all the more in the spotlight.
According to Canadian media reports, the world association IIHF had offered the DEB to postpone the second game by one day to December 27th (local time). However, the German association waived. Because already in the night from Monday to Tuesday (3.30 a.m.) against Slovakia, the third game is on the program, for which the German team expects better chances than against the tournament favorites Canada. As things stand, U-20 national coach Tobias Abstreiter could at best have 17 field players in this game.
Reichel & Co. active again in the DEL
In the course of the week, the DEB, in consultation with the players, announced that the initially eight infected were Florian Bugl, Lucas Flade, Niklas Länger, Jan Nijenhuis, Filip Reisnecker, Joshua Samanski, Markus Schweiger and Maksymilian Szuber.
Curious: Even in the run-up to the tournament, Tobias Ancicka, Lukas Reichel and Nino Kinder (all Eisbären Berlin), three important players on the U-20 national team, traveled to the “bubble” due to the special provisions of the IIHF for the tournament “in Edmonton – not allowed to compete. After surviving infections, all three were now back in action for their DEL club.
–
