Former team player Peter Kasper on his son Marco’s path to the NHL draft.
The fact that Austria’s national ice hockey team was the surprise team at the World Cup in Tampere was also shown in the Finnish TV program on Friday: In the broadcaster C More Max the sensational 2-1 win against the Czech Republic was repeated in full. Typical of the Austrians, who scored seven points in seven games and finished eleventh, their best result since 2004, was Marco Kasper, who had to play with a steel helmet because of his youth.
The 18-year-old from Carinthia played in the concert of the greats as if he had never done anything else. Not only that: with his speed and his cheeky game, he repeatedly provided important offensive actions.
The World Cup was the last proof that the teenager will be among the better at senior level. He continued his good performances from the Swedish top flight with Rögle (three goals, three assists in 13 play-off games). And that in front of the international NHL scouts. Some general managers of the NHL teams are even coming to the World Cup.
Last week, Kasper was at the NHL Combine in Buffalo, where the top 100 talents of the year get in touch with NHL managers and are physically tested. Father Peter Kasper, once a team player himself, youth coach, also a lawyer and working for the player agency Unlimited Sportsmanagment, combines the best qualities to show his son the way in the right direction. Peter Kasper explains: “In Buffalo, out of 32 NHL teams, only Dallas and Carolina didn’t interview Marco. He was even invited to a dinner by Vancouver. It was good for them that Marco lives alone and speaks English and Swedish.” In some teams, such as Detroit, former superstars like Steve Yzerman sat at the table.
Mathe-Test
The day after his return, Marco had a math test at his Swedish school. Training will continue in Rögle until June 24th. And then the NHL draft is coming up. Before that, he completed a scoring camp in Ottawa, which is all about scoring goals.
No matter how the draft ends, it is likely that Marco will still play at Rögle next season. His father emphasizes: “It doesn’t matter where Marco is at the age of 18. It will be important where he will be at 19, 20. Then it counts.”
Until then, he still has to become a man. “If I look at Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovský, he’s 105 kilos and has a full beard if he wants to. Marco can’t keep up with that yet.”