23.01.2026
Promoting young ice hockey talent is a top priority at EHC Biel. Here, children can take to the ice easily and without high starting costs, thanks in part to PostFinance’s support. This is because the junior divisions benefit from financial bonuses with every point scored on the ice by the Top Scorers. EHC Biel can use the money to promote its young talent and pay for their equipment – including for six-year-old Gian Gutmann.
We break the ice by asking Gian Gutmann to name his favourite player. He looks around the EHC Biel changing room, finds Toni Rajala’s seat, sits down and laughs mischievously: “Toni’s the best. He talks to us a lot and always has time for photos.” What the six-year-old doesn’t know is that his favourite player actively helps to ensure that children like him in the Seeland region can play ice hockey in the first place.
Ice hockey equipment is a big hurdle when starting out, something Peter Steinegger knows all too well. As a junior, he was part of the squad of the last Biel championship team in 1983. The 64-year-old has run the hockey school since 2016. “Biel relies on a strong junior division,” says Steinegger, “but to be able to support the kids, they have to switch to ice hockey.” He gets a bag from the storage room and pulls out a helmet, shoulder protectors, trousers, gloves and leg and elbow pads. While Gian puts his kit on with the support of his nine-year-old brother Nando, Steinegger explains: “The helmet alone costs 140 francs. Without PostFinance’s support, we couldn’t offer the kids the equipment.”
On average, 100 boys and girls aged 3 to 9 attend the hockey school. The EHCB provides 80 sets of equipment, which are regularly checked and replaced. “Safety has to be guaranteed, especially for helmets,” says Rohrer. The kids get a jersey as well, which is also financed by the PostFinance Top Scorer fund. It costs 85 francs per season to take part. Steinegger says: “You can spend this amount even if you don’t know whether your child will like ice hockey.”
The area between the junior section and the first team’s changing room in the Tissot Arena features posters, jerseys and other memorabilia reflecting Biel’s proud ice hockey tradition. Fabian Gutmann, father of Gian and Nando is lost in thought. He’s been with the EHCB for decades and would have loved to play ice hockey, but his parents couldn’t make his wish come true – not least for financial reasons. “If your child starts a sport, they may have had enough after just a few training sessions. This means you’re not ready to spend several hundred francs on equipment.” Unfortunately, the PostFinance Top Scorer system didn’t exist when I was younger, says Gutmann. “The way Biel uses this fund may encourage parents to send their kids to play ice hockey instead of refusing for financial reasons.”
Meanwhile, Fabian’s son Gian is still admiring the changing rooms of the Biel professionals; he’s trying out sitting in different spots. This is what he wants to do in the future. He’d like to become an ice hockey pro with the number 19 on his back, his year of birth – “and I want to be a goalie because they have the coolest kit”.
Many others besides Gian may be interested to know that Biel’s ice hockey school ( ehcb.ch/de/spirit) (in German) also provides the children with complete goalie equipment.
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