VIENNA – The Austrian Ice Hockey Association (ÖEHV) has extended the contract with its men’s national team coach Daniel Ratushny for two more years.

Despite finishing last in its group at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and being relegated, the organization saw positives for the team that ended the group in Prague with a 0-2-1-4 record and just lacked one extra point to maintain with the top-16 nations.

“He began successfully with the rebuilding of the team and will continue this path,” ÖEHV President Dieter Kalt said about Ratushny, who will continue to coach Austrian champion Red Bull Salzburg.

The 44-year-old Canadian joined both the club and the national team for the 2014/2015 season.

The goal for the coach is to earn promotion when Austria will play in the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A in Krakow, Poland, to remain in the top division at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Germany and France, and to qualify for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

“We want to bring Austrian ice hockey to the next higher level. It’s a privilege for me to be part of this process and development,” Ratushny said.

Next April Austria will battle for promotion against Slovenia, Poland, Japan, Italy and Korea.

MARTIN MERK