Rossi trains with more than 80 young players in St. Pölten

More than 80 young players from the Lower Austria Stars trained with NHL star Marco Rossi in St. Pölten on Monday, ORF reported. The national team player shared advice from his experience and answered the youngsters’ questions.

The players practised how to move quickly on the ice, win one-on-one battles and shoot accurately and powerfully. Rossi, who plays in Vancouver and comes from Vorarlberg, guided the youth players through the exercises. National team colleague Gregor Biber also joined the training.

Rossi said he remembered looking up to senior players when he was young and wanted to pass that experience on. Biber, 20, previously played in St. Pölten and Krems before moving from Sweden to the United States in the summer.

The Lower Austria Stars hope to become a springboard for future careers. With their current team, they aim to launch an upper-secondary academy in two years, allowing players from Lower Austria to continue playing ice hockey at the highest level after the under-14 age group while attending school. The club said constructive talks with the city of St. Pölten and the state of Lower Austria were under way.

The young players welcomed the chance to train with Rossi. Jonas Göppner said they worked through different stations involving passing and shooting, while Oliver Pfisterer said Rossi had offered him advice and explained how to improve certain exercises.

Some of the players hope to one day play in the NHL. Nino Schriebl from Guntramsdorf in the Mödling district said he wanted to become an ice hockey player and perhaps play in the league. Rossi encouraged the youngsters to believe in their ambitions.