Top draft prospect Marco Kasper says Austria is ''closing the gap'' between themselves and top nations

Projected top-fifteen pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, Marco Kasper, spoke with the media after Austria's overtime loss to the United States on Sunday and said that his country is "closing the gap" between themselves and other top nations in the world.

"I think in Austria we've done a good job developing players over the last couple of years and the gap is not that big anymore. For sure, we are up against NHL players, we have some great players against us, but I think we did a really good job and we can play hard and make it hard for our opponent." Kasper said.

Austria started the game with a hard fought effort against Sweden, but kept it close, with Tre Kronor winning 3-1. In their second game, Austria held a 2-0 lead over the United States, but the Americans game from behind to win the game 3-2 in overtime.

If Kasper is selected in the first round, which given his ranking from NHL Central Scouting (5th in International Skaters) seems like a foregone conclusion, it will be the second time in three years that an Austrian has been taken in the first round. In 2020, the Minnesota Wild used the ninth overall pick to select Marco Rossi.

After back-to-back games, Austria will have Monday off, with their next game coming on Tuesday at 9:20 a.m. against Czechia.

Closing the gap! 🇦🇹💪 @hockeyaustria pic.twitter.com/0h91oyHfzc— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 16, 2022

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