Luca Tosto, storm talent of the Tölzer Löwen, on trust, the small Tölzer squad and a giant step.
Reichersbeuern / Bad Tölz - He's the surprise of the season: Luca Tosto, at 20 years old one of the youngest on the Tölz ice hockey team, was a reliable point supplier until an injury forced him to take a break.
While the striker still managed to score eight points in the entire previous season, he has already delivered 16 points after 20 games and was the best U21 promotional player until a puck smashed the tip of his finger on his left hand.
Tosto had thrown himself in a shot in the DEL2 game against Kaufbeuren at the end of January.
After a four-week injury break, the man from Reichersbeurer played his first game again on the weekend against Freiburg and spoke in an interview about his development, his goals and the crazy Corona season.
Mr Tosto, does it annoy you that Philipp Krauss from ESV Kaufbeuren overtook you as the best U21 promotional player during your injury?
No, I'll grant him that. I'm always happy when young players improve.
That's also good for German ice hockey.
And Philipp has developed really well.
But otherwise I take care of myself and that I give everything for myself and my team.
If you look at yourself: 16 points in 20 games is worth all honors.
You could say you've made DEL 2, right?
Absolutely.
I think I've made a giant leap compared to last season.
I benefited from the small squad because we didn't have any big alternatives in the line-up and that I got the coach's trust.
I am happy that I can achieve this, even if there is still room for improvement, of course.
I have to get even better defensively, especially with regard to the DEL.
Is that your goal?
Of course, one of the goals is to play in the highest German ice hockey league.
But I don't want to talk about it right now, I just want to call up what I can for Tölz and give everything for Tölz.
How do you explain your good development?
I had a lot of time to train in the summer and I used that time.
I think I did pretty well, developed well physically, and grown up.
I'm still a young player, but I think a certain amount of experience comes into play.
That also makes a difference.
Does your good development change the perception of your own team or your opponent?
No, not really.
You have to be realistic.
I think I'm still one of the weaker guys on the team.
But I can already tell that I have the trust of my teammates: I get the disc without anyone having to think about whether it is safe for me.
Yes.
The already small Tölz squad was again decimated by your injury.
Did it hurt just to watch in this situation?
Yeah, that really hurt.
But it was all the nicer to see that the team managed it so well anyway.
Could it be that the small squad is even conducive to this, because everyone is challenged and cannot rely on someone else?
That sure plays a role.
It is in the mind that every mistake is punished and everyone has to give everything because there are so few alternatives.
But we also have a lot of quality in the squad and in Maximilian Franzreb we have an outstanding goalkeeper.
Hats off, he's saved us a lot of games.
And we have a very good system, we are used to playing with three rows - we don't play anything else all season.
And it wasn't any different in the preseason either.
We also got together well as a team - and the Tölzer Lions traditionally fight until they drop.
This requires fitness ...
Yes, I think we have.
We've only been playing with a few people since mid-December, and every game is a huge endurance training session.
That's why we're fit.
And we're clever, so we know how to divide the power and when to manage it.
Do your teammates also have an impact on your development?
Yes, of course, a big one.
You play together every day, look at each other and learn from each other.
Did you come back well in your first game after the injury in Freiburg?
Well, the first two or three changes were a bit tough.
But then I got into the game quite well and - I think - played quite solidly.
But it wasn't enough to win ...
Yes, unfortunately we always find it difficult to win in Freiburg.
But it's also a good team with good players.
And goalkeeper Ben Meisner was incredibly strong that day.
The Tölzer Löwen are fourth after the defeat, but are overall better than many expected.
What's still in this season?
We definitely want to reach the play-offs.
But not only that. We always swim between two and five in the table - and that's why we always want to move up.
Now we have Kassel tomorrow, it's going to be a difficult game, but that's our biggest challenge.
The last game against the Huskies was also close, if we win now, that would be cool.
Corona currently determines everything.
Is the season something special for you too or do you live in an ice hockey bubble between games and training?
No, there are things that are already going on. For example, going out to eat with specialties or simply sitting down for coffee. But apart from that, we are very happy that we can do our job and pursue our greatest love. Others were hit much worse. But of course it's something different for us too, for example when taking the bus to away games. There are simply predetermined rules that you have to adhere to. Or playing in a stadium with no fans. Most of them are missing. It's much better to play in front of 3,000 or 4,000 people in the hall.