More responsibility: NHL professional Sturm hopes to restart in San Jose

Ice hockey pro Nico Sturm is ready for the next task. After the Augsburg native won the Stanley Cup in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Colorado Avalanche at the end of June, he wants to take on more responsibility with his new team, the San Jose Sharks. “I’m going into my fourth year of professional ice hockey, so of course I want to take the next step towards a leadership role,” said Sturm before the Sharks’ friendly at Eisbären Berlin.

However, the striker will miss the game on Tuesday evening (8 p.m. / ProSieben Maxx) in the Arena am Ostbahnhof. Sharks coach David Quinn classified the failure as a precautionary measure. Sturm had to leave the ice early in the test against the Vegas Golden Knights because of a concussion.

“At 27, I’m no longer one of the younger ones,” emphasized Sturm. “There are also people walking around here who are six or seven years younger. You should be a role model for them on and off the ice.” In addition, he has developed further by winning the title. “Of course, these are empirical values ​​that are very special and that not every player has now,” said Sturm.

The center is also looking forward to being part of a fresh start in San Jose. Although the team is hardly given any play-off chances in the NHL in the short term, with the replacement of the head coach and the general manager as well as some changes in the squad, the Californians set the course for the future in the summer. Everyone in the team feels the “energy of departure,” said Sturm. In order to be successful, however, “every player has to make sure that he packs four or five percent on top of what he normally can do”. If that succeeds, the attacker does not rule out a surprise: “I believe that we will be much better than we are estimated by the experts.”