According to reports gathered by the Bieler Tagblatt, Mike Künzle and Michael Hügli will soon sign a new deal with EHC Biel. Moreover, as Martin Steinegger, the team manager of EHC Biel, reveals to the newspaper, Riat and Salmela will not take a decision for the moment. The Swiss forward is still deciding whether leaving for North America, while the Finn feels that he plays better when he does not have a contract.
The situation is less clear with forward Jan Neuenschwander and defenseman Rajan Sataric. Neuenschwander received an offer from the Seeländers, however, he is still uncertain about his future. The newspaper writes that it could be due to the role he could play in Biel compared to somewhere else. For Sataric, the situation is similar, as there have been talks between the player and the club, but Steinegger believes that Sataric might feel stuck in his role as sixth or seventh defenseman.
Asked about Jonas Hiller, Steinegger confirms that he is going to retire at the end of the season, and while Elien Paupe will be one of the two goaltenders, the second one might be a foreign netminder.
Other than the signing of Fabio Hofer from HC Ambrì-Piotta, the team manager wants to keep some free spots in the lineup in case there are still opportunities, and one of these might be Tino Kessler. The forward is already playing in Biel on loan from HC Davos until the Spengler Cup, however, Steinegger would like to keep him until the end of the season. Moreover, Kessler has reportedly received an offer also for next season.
( 09 November 2019 | lle* )
