A short article and video about Marco Kasper’s on-ice training with his father, Peter, in Karnten, Austria appeared on ORF.at today. Here’s a rough translation of the article from German:
Marco Kasper: Training at home for the NHL
Carinthian NHL export Marco Kasper is currently at home, preparing for his upcoming overseas assignment. The 20-year-old, who spent last season with the Detroit Red Wings, wants to return to the best ice hockey league in the world, and is training hard for this.
Marco Kasper used the ice at the Heidi Horten Arena in Klagenfurt for an hour-and-a-half on Wednesday for an individual training session. The Detroit Red Wings have placed particular importance on the details of game tactics, which were not allowed to be filmed. But the focus of the training was clear, says Marco Kasper: “They have very well-trained skills coaches, and we naturally look at shooting, weight-shifting, how to skate, simple details that can be improved.”
Marco Kasper during training
During his debut in the NHL, the strongest ice hockey league in the world, in April 2023, Kasper suffered a knee injury and had to fight his way back. He spent last season with the Red Wings’ farm team, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
At the beginning, he had a really hard time, said Kasper: “It’s not easy, of course, to come from Europe to North America and find your way straight away. That’s why I needed time and just kept training hard, and then we came together as a team, got better and better, and then the season just got better.”
Goal: To play in the NHL again
His long-term goal is to play in the NHL again. To achieve this, Marco Kasper is also relying on his father’s advice. It’s less about his experiences as a player, said his father, Peter: “It’s more about my experiences as a coach. We also discuss what he can do better, what isn’t so good at the moment, and what we can work on. And then we do special exercises for that, and that’s exactly what we’re working on.”
Before Marco Kasper returns overseas, he’ll compete in the Olympic Qualification with the Austrian National Team at the end of August.
