The Augsburg Panther does not want to have anything to do with relegation this season. For this, sports director Larry Mitchell landed a coup: with Bill Peters, he hired a coach who was already on the gang in the NHL.
The fact that he managed to bring coach Bill Peters to Augsburg even surprised sports director Larry Mitchell: “At first you think: Such a coach is probably impossible with the Augsburg Panthers.” Peters won the World Cup with the Canadian national team and stood in the gang with two NHL teams. Now he is supposed to bring the Augsburg Panther back to the road to success.
Mitchell: “Sometimes you have to take a risk”
“I learned that you sometimes have to take a risk and I took this risk and signaled my interest. I asked his agent: Can I have his number and can I make calls with him?” Since it was none other than Larry Mitchell, who called Peters, the coup is not that surprising. He has been one of the formative figures in German ice hockey for years and lives for sport.
A life for that Ice hockey game
The 58-year-old was successful as a coach at EV Landsberg, the Augsburg Panthern and in Straubing. Later he made a name for himself both as a sports director in Ingolstadt and the Swiss association EHC Kloten: “My life is mainly about ice hockey, and if you want to get it out, then you have to live for it.”
Mitchell: “I’m very happy to be a half-Bavarian.”
Mitchell was born in Germany as the son of a Canadian soldier stationed here. Today he is considered a talent score and good communicator. These are reasons why Mitchell is more successful than in his active player career: “What I might not have managed to establish myself as a player in the highest league in Germany has succeeded as a trainer and now as a sports director. This is something that makes me very proud.” And he adds with a smile: “I love to be a half-Bavarian.”
The players also appreciate the way Mitchell works. Striker Tim Wohlgemuth emphasizes the human side: “He could just tell me how things go, but he is always very human and has a lot of understanding and empathy.”
The goal: have nothing to do with the descent
Peters, the experience of Mitchell and the close bond between those responsible and players, should help the Panthers to get back into calmer waters. The association wants to focus on sporting stability. “If you have not been so successful in recent years, you tend to compare yourself over the years. But there was also a time before, it was also more successful. That’s why we start at zero,” says Wohlemuth.
The goal is clearly formulated – Augsburg should stay away from the lower table from the start. The relegation battle, which has always been an issue in recent years, should not play a role this time.
Table leadership and relegation battle, current gameplays, results and live tickers, scoring lists, mileage and duel statistics and much more: Football in the results center of BR24Sport.
Source: BR24Sport on radio 11.09.2025 – 3:54 p.m.
