Andre Rankel named Germany's new men's ice hockey coach
Germany's men's ice hockey team has appointed a new head coach following a string of dissappointing tournaments. He's two decades younger than the man he's replacing but he has no previous experience as a head coach.
The German Ice Hockey Association introduced former player Andre Rankel as the new head coach of the men's national team on Thursday during a press conference in Munich. Rankel, who previously served as an assistant coach at Eisbären Berlin for the past three seasons, had never held a head coaching position. DEB sport director Christian Künast confirmed that he believes Rankel is the best candidate among those interviewed, emphasizing his extensive hockey knowledge gained through years of experience as a player and assistant coach.
Rankel expressed his pride in accepting the position, stating that he intends to foster team cohesion and develop a clear playing style with the players and coaching staff. Although this marks Rankel's first head coaching role, he has a distinguished hockey career, including 17 seasons in the DEL, seven titles as a player, and three as an assistant coach.
He also played 46 times for Germany, including in the 2010 Olympic Games. DEB CEO Frank Lutz announced a four-year contract extension for Rankel, highlighting the organization's confidence in his ability to guide the team in the long term. The appointment represents a generational shift for Germany, replacing Harold Kreis, who led the team to a silver medal at the 2023 World Championship but struggled in subsequent tournaments.
While appointing an inexperienced coach may appear risky, the DEB has previously succeeded with this approach, as seen with Marco Sturm's silver medal-winning 2018 Winter Olympics campaign. Rankel's inaugural tournament as head coach will be the Deutschland Cup in Düsseldorf, followed by Germany's World Championship hosting in May.
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