Franz-David Fritzmeier has been responsible for sports at the Löwen Frankfurt since 2017.

Now he is planning a season in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) for the first time as Frankfurt sports director.

He will first put the team together and then look for the right coach for the team.

The lions parted ways with master coach Bohuslav Subr at the end of last season.

In addition to financial aspects, there was also disagreement about the way the team would perform in the coming season.

What is certain is that Jan Barta will continue to be on the gang as an assistant coach.

Looking for top-class newcomers

The squad, meanwhile, continues to take shape.

"We have kept the basis of the team together, now the goal is to fill four or five more positions," said Fritzmeier in an interview with the FAZ.

The basis is a dozen players who achieved the DEL2 championship last season.

Pierre Preto, Bobby Raymond, Tomáš Sýkora and young national player Luca Hauf will no longer be there.

There will also be some top players among the remaining newcomers.

In particular, the focus is on a player for the central attacking position and a defender.

"We will invest in top-class players in these positions, but of course we don't have the resources available like the top teams in the league."

Eisenmenger returns

With David Elsner, an experienced striker from Straubing has already been signed.

“Hopefully he will have a very good season.

We trust him," said Fritzmeier about the new signing.

Also presented was the 20-year-old Paul Reiner, who was trained by the Eisbären Berlin.

Striker Magnus Eisenmenger, who played for the Augsburg Panthers in the DEL last season and played for the Löwen from 2018 to 2021, also falls into the category of players under the age of 23.

"He has great talent and has already matured in terms of play," says Fritzmeier.

Expectations are not only placed on the newcomers.

Also, and in particular, the players from the DEL2 champion squad, with whom the club extended, are held accountable.

The potential is there, but now the players around last year's top scorer Dylan Wruck have to prove their suitability for the DEL.

Sports director Fritzmeier is optimistic that everyone will be able to achieve the necessary improvement.

"It will also be important that we quickly get used to not being the top of the league anymore," he added.

If the role shift from hunted to hunter works, the lions can play a passable role in the premier league.

The goal of the season is to stay in the class, which is by no means a sure-fire success, as two teams are relegated.

From August onwards there are a good one and a half months left for joint preparation, during which several friendlies against established DEL clubs such as Adler Mannheim are planned.

The first face-off in the DEL takes place in mid-September.

Shirt sponsor is still missing

The fact that the lions are actually in the starting field is becoming more and more realistic.

"We have a positive feeling about the licensing, but financially we are still at the lower end of the road," reported Löwen partner Andreas Stracke.

The lions are also working on finding a sponsor for the jersey chest.

"The Frankfurt name still has a lot of appeal," says the shareholder.

In order to make this light shine more sportily, however, other sponsors have to be convinced of their commitment.