Marco Kasper has been voted Austrian ice hockey player of the year. The 18-year-old striker for Swedish club Rögle BK won Powerplay magazine’s vote with 79 points and was named the youngest player to date. Second place went to Anna Meixner (39 points), who was the first woman to make it into the top 3. Third place went to defender David Reinbacher (20 points), also an 18-year-old.
Use at the World Cup
“I am very grateful for this award. It’s incredibly cool to win this award. Being player of the year at such a young age means a lot to me. I will continue to work hard to inspire young players and to commend myself for this award in the years to come,” explained Kasper. The Carinthian, who will be 19 in early April, has been a regular at Rögle und won the CHL with the club from Ängelholm last year. At the World Cup in Tampere, where the Austrian team managed to stay up for the first time in 18 years, he was used in all games and once again convinced the talent scouts from the North American NHL.
In the NHL draft on July 7, he was eventually selected by the Detroit Red Wings as the number eight. However, after consultation with Detroit, he continues to contest the current season in the strong Swedish SHL league. With 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) he is by far the best teenager in the league.