The EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV travels to Salzburg on Friday evening (Eisarena Salzburg, start: 7:15 PM, live on sporteurope.tv and Radio Kärnten Eishockey-Magazin) as the eighth-ranked team to face the four-time champion EC Red Bull Salzburg, currently in third place. After a mixed run of wins and losses, the Adler are aiming for more consistency in their game to succeed in Salzburg and secure crucial points in the fight for the Pre-Playoffs.
The Situation:
The EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV will be on the road Friday evening to take on the third-place EC Red Bull Salzburg. Currently eighth in the standings, Villach remains in the thick of the battle for Pre-Playoff spots, having built a respectable eight-point cushion over eleventh-placed FTC Telekom Budapest – with only four games remaining.
The VSV is currently eighth in the league table, having played 44 season games. They’ve secured 19 wins, whereas 25 have ended in defeat. Their goal difference is slightly negative, with 141 goals scored and 149 conceded, resulting in a minus-eight balance. With 58 points, the Adler are solid – though significantly weaker compared to last year – averaging 1.31 points per game.
Salzburg presents a much more stable front. They too have played 44 season games, celebrating 29 victories and suffering only 15 losses. They’ve scored 148 goals while conceding just 96, making them the second-best defense in the league behind Moser Medical Graz 99ers. A plus-52 goal ratio is as well the second-best in the league and with 84 points, they’ve earned the third-most points, averaging 1.91 points per game. This strong performance keeps them firmly in contention for a top playoff seed.
The Mozartstädter’s form is also clearly trending upwards. They’ve won seven of their last ten games, with defeats only against Budapest, Pustatal, and Ljubljana. The VSV, but, travels to Salzburg with a mixed record: three wins from their last five games, and a slightly positive record of six wins in their last ten.
The head-to-head record is also intriguing. Salzburg has won five of the last ten duels, while the Adler have prevailed five times. Among the current top-3 teams in the league – Graz, Klagenfurt, and Salzburg – Villach traditionally finds Salzburg the easiest opponent. Recent performances at the Volksgarten Salzburg are also encouraging: the VSV has won two of their last three visits. The last three duels in Salzburg were decided by just one goal – Villach won twice by 3-2, while the home side narrowly won 2-1 once.
The Opponent:
The EC Red Bull Salzburg has been the dominant team in the league for the past two decades. As twelve-time Austrian champions and ten-time ICE Hockey League (formerly EBEL) titleholders, the Bulls also won the championship last season. After finishing second in the regular season, Salzburg swept the EC-KAC 4-0 in the final to claim the championship convincingly. Remarkably, the Salzburg team has finished each of the last four seasons as champions – a feat unmatched in EBEL/ICEHL history.
Manny Viveiros took over as head coach for the new season. The Austro-Canadian is well-known in the league and with the VSV: he played for the “Adler” between 1991 and 1995, and later worked eight years at EC-KAC as a coach and sports director. Viveiros recently gained international experience in North America, including as Head Coach in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights and in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants.
The signing of Michael Raffl has also garnered significant attention. Born and raised in Villach, the forward returned to the ICEHL after his time with HC Lausanne. With 629 NHL appearances for the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, and Dallas Stars, Raffl is one of the most prominent additions to the entire league. The former Austrian national team player brings immense experience, leadership, and stability to the Salzburg squad.
the Mozartstädter have several players with a history with Villach: David Kickert (2017/18 season), Florian Lanzinger and Lucas Thaler from the VSV youth system, and Thomas Raffl, who wore the Villach jersey until 2009.
New addition Travis St. Denis deserves particular attention: the 32-year-old Canadian brings experience from 294 AHL games, where he averaged 0.50 points per game. In the past four years, he also impressed in the DEL for the Straubing Tigers and ERC Ingolstadt – with strong offensive production (0.7 points per game) and a physical playing style reflected in 236 penalty minutes.
Opponents and Stats to Watch:
The statistical values of EC Red Bull Salzburg paint a multifaceted picture, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the third-placed team. In special teams, the Mozartstädter still have room for improvement: they rank only eleventh in the powerplay, scoring just 22 goals from 135 opportunities, for a modest success rate of 16.3 percent.
Salzburg also doesn’t fully convince in penalty killing: with 151 shorthanded situations – the most in the league – the Red Bulls conceded 31 goals, for a success rate of 79.24 percent.
the Red Bulls win 52.49 percent of their faceoffs, a value particularly influenced by the outstanding performances of Michael Raffl, who wins an impressive 70.4 percent of his faceoffs. Lukas Thaler also impresses with a rate of 54.8 percent, well above the league average.
This dominance in faceoffs is directly reflected in puck possession: on average, the Red Bulls have two minutes and ten seconds more puck control than their opponents during even strength, which directly impacts their playing style and offensive production. The Mozartstädter average 0.58 more expected goals per game than their opponents.
The pass quality is also above average: with 87.32 percent completed passes, they are among the top-3 teams in the league.
Among the scorers, Michael Raffl unsurprisingly leads the way. In 41 games, the Villach-born player has scored 17 goals and 26 assists, totaling 43 points and a plus-minus ratio of +19. With 61 penalty minutes, he also underscores his physical presence on the ice. His closest competitor is Travis St. Denis, who has 17 goals and 22 assists in 44 games – a total of 39 points.
Among the defensemen, Dennis Robertson stands out, scoring 5 goals and 23 assists in 40 games for 28 points.
Salzburg also presents an extremely stable goaltending duo. Backup David Kickert showed excellent performance in 18 appearances: only 25 goals conceded mean a goals-against average of 1.38 with a save percentage of 94.41 percent – by far the best in the entire league. Starting goaltender Atte Tolvanen played 26 games, conceding 64 goals with a goals-against average of 2.45 and a save percentage of 91.1 percent. Together, both keepers have allowed the Salzburg team to perform an impressive 11.21 goals better than statistically expected.
Blau-Weiße Stats & Facts:
The EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV also shows a contrasting picture, especially in special teams. While the Adler’s powerplay is considered highly profitable, their penalty killing falls short of their own expectations. With 33 goals from 131 powerplay opportunities, the VSV ranks third in the table and boasts a remarkable success rate of 25.92 percent.
The shorthanded game, however, is significantly weaker: 31 goals conceded in 135 shorthanded situations mean a success rate of 77.04 percent, which only ranks eleventh in the league and still leaves room for stabilization.
Adam Helewka and Nikita Scherbak carry the offensive load for the Adler. Helewka leads the internal scoring list with 23 goals and 20 assists in 42 games – a total of 43 points with a balanced plus-minus ratio of 0. Scherbak is only one point behind him: he has 10 goals and 32 assists in 39 games, for a total of 42 points with a plus-minus rating of +6.
Dylan McPherson, currently injured, remains the top-scoring defenseman, scoring 5 goals and 24 assists in 42 games for 29 points.
The scoring efficiency of Villach has also stabilized. It increased from 8.2 percent to now 9.36 percent – an increase of almost one percent, which can make a noticeable difference given the close game outcomes.
Goaltender Joe Cannata is in top form for the VSV. In 38 appearances, he has conceded a total of 108 goals, for a goals-against average of 3.14 and a save percentage of 90.85 percent. Cannata’s consistency in recent games is a key factor in the Adler’s stability, especially in tight games – in the past five appearances, he has saved an average of 0.71 more goals than statistically expected.
Friday, February 20, 2026 | 7:15 PM
EC Red Bull Salzburg – EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV
Eisarena Salzburg (Salzburg, Austria)
