Thursday, 21. August 2025 |
Red Bulls Salute international invitation tournament coming up
So before the Red Bulls take to the ice against the 2022 Swedish Champions League winners in the evening, this year's international invitational tournament will kick off. At 4 p.m., reigning Austrian champions EC Red Bull Salzburg will face Swiss top club EV Zug in the opening game.
The winners of both matches will contest the final on the following Saturday at 7 p.m., while the two losing teams will face each other in the third-place play-off at 3 p.m. Incidentally, we have won the title twice so far (2017, 2019).
The four games of the Red Bulls Salute, which our tourism partner Zell am See-Kaprun is hosting for the third time in a row this year, will be broadcast free of charge via livestream. All fans can follow the action on Red Bull TV, ServusTV On or Sporteurope.TV.
Red Bulls want to “get in shape”
So the next tough tests against top European teams await our boys. The newly formed Munich team already showed promising signs in the first two test matches of the Lehner Cup against SC Bern and EV Zug last week. Now it's time to build on that.
“Our in-house tournament features four top European teams: Salzburg, Rögle, Zug, and Munich. I'm looking forward to four high-quality games in Zell am See-Kaprun,” says Christian Winkler (Managing Director Sports Red Bull Ice Hockey), eagerly anticipating the matches. “This is a first test for us. All teams will try to set the bar as high as possible,” Winkler makes clear.
Ferguson sees good opportunity to “build chemistry”
Forward Brady Ferguson sees the Red Bulls Salute after the games against Bern and Zug as the next opportunity to find their feet as a team and get better and better at what they do. “The most important thing is that we get in shape,” Ferguson said ahead of the games. The forward is one of eleven new signings this summer.
“We have a new coach and almost half the team is new. It will take some time to build 100% chemistry. But it's also important that we have fun and avoid injuries. We'll definitely be ready for the start of the PENNY DEL main round,” announced the American.
A quick reunion with his “old love”
Ferguson will face his former club on Friday evening. The 30-year-old played for Rögle for the past five years and was a key factor in the CHL triumph in 2022, among other things. Like Ferguson, the Swedish representative, who is based in the southern Swedish municipality of Ängelholm, is participating in the Red Bulls Salute for the first time this year.
“I played with a lot of their guys for five years. But they also have a few new players and a new coach. In any case, I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again. There'll definitely be a few jokes flying around on the ice,” our number twelve announced with a wink.
The team is now coached by Dan Tangnes, who previously led EV Zug to two championships and one cup victory in seven years. New additions include forwards Fredrik Olofsson (also EV Zug) and Karson Kuhlmann (Lukko Rauma), as well as defensemen Mark Friedman (Milwaukee Admirals) and Paul LaDue (MoDo Hockey). Rögle is therefore relying on a team with a Scandinavian-North American flavor. In their first test of the preseason, they lost 0-1 to Färjestad BK.
Welcome Event als Startschuss des Red Bulls Salute 2025
// PREVIEW
Changes in Salzburg and Zug
Salzburg and Zug have also played their first games this summer. The Mozartstadt team lost 1-2 to HC Kosice in a penalty shootout, while EVZ won 3-2 against HC Motor Ceske Budejovice and 5-2 against us, defending their Lehner Cup title.
Like Munich and Rögle, both teams have a new head coach behind the bench. Manny Viveiros took over at the Austrian serial champions, who have won the ICEHL four times in a row, while Michael Liniger succeeded Tangnes in Zug.
While Salzburg strengthened its squad during the break with two defensemen, Connor Corcoran (Bakersfield Condors, AHL) and Devante Stephens (Colorado Eagles, also AHL), as well as former Straubing forward Travis St. Denis and former NHL forward Michael Raffl (Lausanne HC), the Swiss caught the attention of the Lehner Cup with the signings of two goal scorers, Dominik Kubalik (HC Ambrì-Piotta) and Tomas Tatar (New Jersey Devils, NHL). In addition, experienced defenseman Raphael Diaz (Fribourg-Gottéron) returned to his home club.
Red Bulls Salute 2025 games at a glance
Semifinal 1 | August 22, 2025 | 4:00 p.m. | EC Red Bull Salzburg – EV Zug | Tickets
Semifinal 2 | August 22, 2025 | 7:30 p.m. | EHC Red Bull München – Rögle BK | Tickets
Third place play-off | August 23, 2025 | 3:00 p.m. | Loser SF 1 – Loser SF 2 | Tickets
Final | August 23, 2025 | 7:00 p.m. | Winner SF 1 – Winner SF 2 | Tickets
All previous winners of the Red Bulls Salute:
2024: Växjö Lakers (SWE)
2023: IFK Helsinki (FIN)
2022: Mountfield HK (CZE)
2021: Bílí Tygri Liberec (CZE)
2020: EC-KAC (AUT)
2019: EHC Red Bull München (GER)
2018: SC Bern (SUI)
2017: EHC Red Bull München (GER)
2013: JYP (FIN)
2012: Luleå Hockey (SWE)
2011: EC Red Bull Salzburg (AUT)
2010: Eisbären Berlin (GER)
2009: EC Red Bull Salzburg (AUT)
2008: HC Sparta Prague (CZE)
2007: Los Angeles Kings (USA)
2006: ZSC Lions (SUI)
2005: ERC Ingolstadt (GER)
That was the Red Bulls Salute 2024
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