Harold Kreis was presented as new head coach of the German national team at a press conference in Munich.
photo: Marco Leipold / City-Press
The German Ice Hockey Association (DEB) has presented Harold Kreis as new head coach of the German men’s national team at a press conference on Monday in Munich. Alexander Sulzer was named assistant coach. Both signed three-year contracts.
Kreis succeeds Toni Soderholm, who in November asked for a release to assume a new job at Swiss club SC Bern.
The 64-year-old is currently the head coach of DEL club Schwenninger Wild Wings and will start his duties as national team head coach after the end of the season with his club and in view of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
“I’m honoured to assume this responsible position and will go into this task with humbleness and full of drive. Together with Alexander I want to continue the successful path of the German national team and develop it together with the players,” said Kreis.
Born to parents of German origin in Winnipeg, Canada, Kreis moved to Germany already as a 19-year-old to play professional hockey in the country and to join the national team already at that age. He spent all of his 19 seasons of professional hockey with Adler Mannheim (formerly known as Mannheimer ERC) and represented West Germany in two Olympic Winter Games and eight IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships. The defender eventually retired in Mannheim at the age of 38 and moved to coaching being three years the club’s assistant coach.
Being named the head coach of the men’s national team makes his career with the national team come full circle. And circle is what “Kreis” means in German, after all.
After the end of his career as a player in 1997, Kreis mostly worked as assistant coach with clubs in Germany and Switzerland for eight years. In 2006 he got his first top-level assignment as a head coach being hired by HC Lugano during the playoffs and leading the team to the Swiss championship a few weeks later. In 2008 he won his second Swiss championship with the ZSC Lions Zurich before returning to Germany. He coached Dusseldorfer EG, Adler Mannheim and since this season the Schwenninger Wild Wings and also had a four-year stint with EV Zug in Switzerland in between.
Kreis is not entirely new to the national team. At the 2010 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on home ice and in 2011 he was the assistant coach of Uwe Krupp and one year later of Jakob Kolliker.
“With Harold Kreis and Alexander Sulzer we succeeded in finding a coaching team for the DEB. The two have the potential to lead our well-positioned national team consistently among the top-eight nations of the world. We are looking forward to a successful and productive cooperation,” said DEB President Peter Merten.
With Alexander Sulzer, another former German national team player, albeit one from a more recent era, will join the coaching staff. He also represented Germany in two Olympic Winter Games and in three IIHF Ice hockey World Championships. Also a former defender, Sulzer played 131 NHL games while spending the rest of his career back home in the DEL.
The 38-year-old finished his career as a professional player in 2019 and is currently working as assistant coach for Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven.
Germany will start the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Group A in Tampere where the team will battle for a quarter-final spot against Sweden, Finland, the United States, Denmark, Austria, Hungary and France.
Kreis succeeds Toni Soderholm, who in November asked for a release to assume a new job at Swiss club SC Bern.
The 64-year-old is currently the head coach of DEL club Schwenninger Wild Wings and will start his duties as national team head coach after the end of the season with his club and in view of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
“I’m honoured to assume this responsible position and will go into this task with humbleness and full of drive. Together with Alexander I want to continue the successful path of the German national team and develop it together with the players,” said Kreis.
Born to parents of German origin in Winnipeg, Canada, Kreis moved to Germany already as a 19-year-old to play professional hockey in the country and to join the national team already at that age. He spent all of his 19 seasons of professional hockey with Adler Mannheim (formerly known as Mannheimer ERC) and represented West Germany in two Olympic Winter Games and eight IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships. The defender eventually retired in Mannheim at the age of 38 and moved to coaching being three years the club’s assistant coach.
Being named the head coach of the men’s national team makes his career with the national team come full circle. And circle is what “Kreis” means in German, after all.
After the end of his career as a player in 1997, Kreis mostly worked as assistant coach with clubs in Germany and Switzerland for eight years. In 2006 he got his first top-level assignment as a head coach being hired by HC Lugano during the playoffs and leading the team to the Swiss championship a few weeks later. In 2008 he won his second Swiss championship with the ZSC Lions Zurich before returning to Germany. He coached Dusseldorfer EG, Adler Mannheim and since this season the Schwenninger Wild Wings and also had a four-year stint with EV Zug in Switzerland in between.
Kreis is not entirely new to the national team. At the 2010 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on home ice and in 2011 he was the assistant coach of Uwe Krupp and one year later of Jakob Kolliker.
“With Harold Kreis and Alexander Sulzer we succeeded in finding a coaching team for the DEB. The two have the potential to lead our well-positioned national team consistently among the top-eight nations of the world. We are looking forward to a successful and productive cooperation,” said DEB President Peter Merten.
With Alexander Sulzer, another former German national team player, albeit one from a more recent era, will join the coaching staff. He also represented Germany in two Olympic Winter Games and in three IIHF Ice hockey World Championships. Also a former defender, Sulzer played 131 NHL games while spending the rest of his career back home in the DEL.
The 38-year-old finished his career as a professional player in 2019 and is currently working as assistant coach for Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven.
Germany will start the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Group A in Tampere where the team will battle for a quarter-final spot against Sweden, Finland, the United States, Denmark, Austria, Hungary and France.