Change is imminent

“American Dream” within reach for Meixner

Captain of the national team, Anna Meixner will soon be trying her luck in North America.(Bild: NZ-Photo/Nicolas Zangerle)

Ice hockey export Anna Meixner is about to move to the North American professional league PWHL. This would be a dream come true for the Zell native. She has recently made a big impression in Sweden and in the national team.

She captained the Austrian national team to the home world championships in Klagenfurt. Anna Meixner's dream (advancing to the World Group) did not come true. But another one is now within reach. The "American Dream" - the dream of North America.

The Zell native, who was voted best player of the season in Sweden in 2023, wants to make the leap across the pond and compete in the best ice hockey league in the world. "Competing against the strongest players in the world and playing with them would be a dream come true for me," beams the 29-year-old. The chances are good. She will be in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) draft in Minnesota in June. In the assessment by "the Hockey News", the Pinzgau native was ranked 14th.

Meixner was voted best player of the season in Sweden in 2023.(Bild: Brynäs IF)

New league founded
The PWHL is in its inaugural season. Six teams (New York, Boston, Minnesota, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa) are taking part in the newly founded league. In six draft rounds (42 picks), players new to the league will be "drafted" by the teams on a rotating basis.

"It would be an honor. It would probably be the crowning achievement of my career if I really made it," says the exceptional player. After Theresa Schafzahl (Boston), she would be the second Austrian in the league to do important pioneering work: "The young players are working very hard, more and more are going to North America and playing in college or making the leap to a top European league."