The Moser Medical Graz99ers are an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

professional ice hockey team from

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

. The club was founded in 1999 after the previous club, EHC Graz, folded prior to the 1998–99 season due to financial difficulties. The Graz99ers started in the 1999–2000 season in the

Austrian National League The Austrian National League () was a former second tier ice hockey league in Ice hockey in Austria, Austria. For the 2012–13 Inter-National League season, 2012–13 season, it was replaced by the Inter-National League. Decline With the conclu ...

, Austria's second division, where they were crowned instant champions. Since the 2000–01 season they have been playing in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL).

History

Hockey was played at Premier League level in Graz mainly from two predecessor clubs. The Hockey department of the

ATSE Graz ATSE Graz is an ice hockey team in Graz, Austria. They play in the Eliteliga, the third level of ice hockey in Austria. History The club was founded in 1947, and won the Austrian Hockey League in 1975 and 1978. The club was merged with UEC Graz in ...

(Workers' Gymnastics and Sports Association Eggenberg) was founded in 1947 and won to date the only Graz Hockey club title at the top Austrian League level in the 1974–75 and 1977-78 season. The club was merged early nineties with the UEC Graz, shortly after the EC Graz emerged. In 2008, the Hockey section of was ATSE Graz reactivated on the league level. The new goalie was Ben Bowns. The EC Graz (also called "the elephant") experienced under President Hannes Kartnig its heyday, finishing three times the runner-up title in the seasons 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94 despite running at a high financial cost. After the departure of Hannes Kartnig, the football club SK Sturm Graz changed, they tried to rescue the EC Graz. When this plan failed, the EHC Graz was established in 1998, only to become bankrupt the same year. ;Establishment and promotion to the Bundesliga In 1999 Jochen Pildner-Steinburg founded the Graz 99ers as the successor club of the EC Graz to offer Hockey League back in the Styrian capital. The team premiered in the second division, the

, finishing after 28 rounds played, in first place in the table. In the semifinals, the team continued after opening game defeat to persevere to a 3: 1 series win against the

EHC Lustenau Eishockey Club Lustenau, commonly referred to as EHC Lustenau or simply Lustenau, is an ice hockey team in Lustenau, Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. ...

to meet

EK Zell am See EK, Ek or ek may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Eastern Kentucky Railway (with reporting mark EK), now-defunct railway * Eastman Kodak (formerly with NYSE ticker symbol EK), US-based photography company, formerly * Ek Commando Knife C ...

in the final. The series was decided in four games with Graz taking advantage of the opportunity for promotion to the Austrian Hockey League.

Players

Current roster

Updated 7 September 2024.

Notable alumni

Steve Brûlé Steve Brûlé (born January 15, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He last played competitively with Jonquière Marquis of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey. He played in the National Hockey League with the New Jersey ...

* Dave Chyzowski *

Greg Day Greg Day (born February 25, 1977) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward. Playing career Day was born in St Clair Beach, Ontario. He spent four seasons playing for Bowling Green State University be ...

* Scott Fankhouser *

Jiří Hála Jiří Hála (born 30 June 1972 in České Budějovice) is a former Czech ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, line ...

* Rob Hisey *

Tommy Jakobsen Tommy Jakobsen (born 10 December 1970) is a Norwegian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He is the most experienced player on the Norwegian national team going into the 2009 IIHF World Championship with 125 official matches. Jakobsen ...

*Ivo Jan * Rumun Ndur * Doug Nolan *

Steve Passmore Steve Passmore (born January 29, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques as their ninth-round pick in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He played 93 games in the NHL between 1998 and 2004 with ...

* Marcel Rodman * Sean Selmser *

Thomas Vanek Thomas Vanek (born 19 January 1984) is an Austrian former professional ice hockey winger who played fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Minnes ...

References

External links

Graz99ers official site
Ice hockey teams in Austria Austrian Hockey League teams Ice hockey clubs established in 1999 1999 establishments in Austria {{Austria-sport-team-stub