Wallek wants to know

Created: 06/11/2022, 10:00 am

By: Wolfgang Krzizok

Welcome back Paul Wallek.

The defender (right) presents the gladiators dress with press spokesman David Whitney.

© TSV Erding

TSV Erding continues to work diligently on the squad for the upcoming Bavarian ice hockey league season.

Erding – At the goalie position, the Erding Gladiators are complete.

As far as defenders go, they're on the home stretch with returnee Paul Wallek now occupying seventh position.

With Christoph Schedlbauer, Thomas Hingel and Patrick Mayer, Erdinger have three goalkeepers under contract.

Basti Cramer, Dominik Wagner, Mark Waldhausen, the Finn Roni Rukajärvi and Lukas Krämmer, who can also be used up front, are already fixed in defense from last season.

There are also newcomers Simon Franz (previously ESC Dorfen) and now Wallek.

The 21-year-old was born in Munich, but has gone through almost all of the youth at TSV Erding.

From the U16s to the U20s, he was also deployed for the Starbulls Rosenheim DNL team and also played around 30 Bavarian league games for the Gladiators before he spent his last years with the Kölner Junghaien and the Eisbären Juniors Berlin.

Last season he switched to Deggendorfer SC in the Oberliga, where Wallek was also loaned to the Gladiators -- however, he didn't play enough games to be used in the relegation round.

"When the Deggendorfer announced that Paul would not get a contract, we of course immediately contacted him intensively," says spokesman David Whitney.

"He was trained by us and we know what he can do."

The premier league team parted ways with a total of six players, including Wallek and Daniel Schroepfer, who was born in Dorfen and who also had a license to play for Erding.

"In the end, I wasn't able to assert myself completely and I didn't have the confidence of the coach," says Wallek frankly.

"So it didn't really make sense to continue playing here." However, he "liked it very much in Deggendorf and I felt very, very comfortable there," admits the 21-year-old.

"But it was a brutal change when you suddenly only play adult ice hockey against almost all professionals."

Wallek himself will remain in Deggendorf for the time being because he is studying sports science there.

When the farewell was indicated, he spoke to Erding's coach Thomas Vogl.

The fact that there is now a new man behind the gang in Andy Becher is not a problem.

He had already been in contact with him, most recently during the fitness test on Thursday evening.

"And I'm really happy.

His approach and his philosophy completely convinced me,” enthuses the 21-year-old, who doesn't expect it to take any time to get used to.

"I know a lot of players, I know the whole environment.

It's a good team that's starting there.

I'm looking forward to being able to step on the gas," says Wallek and summarizes: "I'm really looking forward to the season."

And the Gladiators are also happy to have Wallek on the team.

"He fits into our philosophy," Whitney insists.

"He comes from our offspring, he's good, young and therefore corresponds exactly to our requirement profile," summarizes the press spokesman and confirms the future prospects of the club: "We want to rejuvenate the team and achieve our goal in the premier league in the medium term."