Seven RYT stars out for glory in Hamburg

Launched in 2019 by the EHF, the RYT programme promotes the holistic development of talented players both on and off the handball court, addressing topics such as the dual career, anti-doping, mental fitness, media and sports law.

During the past years, a plethora of young players have taken part in the programme, mentored by legends of the sport such as Ivano Balic, Vid Kavticnik, Victor Tomas, Dominik Klein, Stefan Lövgren and Carlos Prieto, ambassadors of the programme.

Two such young players – Füchse's Tim Freihöfer and Matthes Langhoff – raised the EHF European League trophy in 2023, while others such as Calin Dedu, Daniel Stanciuc, Hakun West Av Teigum and David Späth have even played in their first Men’s EHF EURO in Germany in January.  

Who are those alumni of the RYT programme ready to shine in Hamburg? Let’s take a look at the ones which are the most likely candidates.

Calin Dedu – Dinamo Bucuresti

2.07 metres tall and handball in his genes: Calin’s father Alexandru Dedu was a legend in Romania, playing more than 250 times for the national team, winning the EHF Champions League three times with FC Barcelona – and even played as a line player, the same position as his son. The 21-year-old pivot is the jewel in the Dinamo team, for whom he has played at international level since 2021. After being part of all Romanian youth and junior national teams, he made his debut in the senior team in EHF EURO 2022 qualification. Before, Dedu was an All-star Team member at the M20 EHF Championship 2022 in Bulgaria as the best line player. His star rose even higher at the Men’s EHF EURO 2024, netting seven goals in three matches after scoring six times in qualification. On the way to Hamburg, Dedu scored 23 goals for Dinamo in the current EHF European League season.

Daniel Stanciuc - Dinamo Bucuresti

To learn at the side of three-time EHF Champions League winner Luka Cindric is a brilliant experience for a youngster – and 20-year-old playmaker Daniel Stanciuc fulfilled all the hopes Dinamo set into him, when they signed the talent in 2023 from CSU Suceava. In the summer of 2022, Stanciuc stepped into the spotlight, scoring 38 goals at the M18 EHF Championship 2022 in Craiova, Romania – and later was part of the RYT camp in Vienna. By January 2024, at the age of 19, he was already a regular in the Romania men’s team at the EHF EURO in Germany, finishing with seven goals and 11 assists after three matches. In his first European season with Dinamo, Stanciuc is currently on seven goals, five of them in Bucharest’s 52:24 record win in the group phase against Izvidac.

Hakun West av Teigum – Füchse Berlin

When you talk about the meteoric rise of Faroe Islands handball, mainly Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu is in focus. He will aim for the trophy at the TruckScout 24 EHF FINAL4 in Cologne with THW Kiel, but Hakun West av Teigum plays a similar role in the national team. Together with Ellefsen á Skipagøtu, he made it to the Skanderborg youth academy in Denmark at the age of 16, and by the age of 19, he was a regular in the Skanderborg Arhus team and scored a sensational 68 goals in his first EHF European League season.

After steering the U20 team to their first European Championship in 2022 (where he scored 39 goals) and the first U21 world championship, where the Faroese team reached the quarter-finals, he transferred to Füchse Berlin to become the long-term replace fir Hans Lindberg on the right wing position. The Men’s EHF EURO was another highlight in his young career – after scoring 39 goals in the successful qualification, he was – equal with Ellefsen á Skipagøtu – top scorer of his team with 23 goals in three matches. In Berlin, where he shares his position with Lindberg, Hakun West av Teigum, is currently on 27 strikes in the EHF European League.

Tim Freihöfer – Füchse Berlin

At the age of 21, the left wing is already playing his third EHF European League season for Füchse – and was part of the winning team at the EHF Finals in 2023 in Flensburg. Freihöfer made it all the way through the German youth and junior teams, was M19 EHF EURO champion in 2021 and U21 world champion in 2023. Already at the age of 16, he moved to the youth team of Füchse Berlin. In 2022, he signed his first pro contract in the German capital and currently shares the position with Jerry Tollbring. In the EHF European League he is Berlin’s third highest scorer with 56 season goals so far, only topped by IHF World Player of the Year Mathias Gidsel and former Barcelona star Lasse Andersson.

Matthes Langhoff – Füchse Berlin

Last season, he played for Füchse Berlin and their farm team VfL Potsdam in the first and second divisions in Germany, but ultimately got plenty of playing time in the EHF Finals and Flensburg, where Langhoff won his first trophy with the Berlin senior team. At the M20 EHF EURO in 2022, the left back netted 20 goals, but one year later, mainly his defensive strength was in focus when he became U21 world champion with Germany. The same applies in the Füchse squad – not those 12 goals scored in the EHF European League 2023/24 thus far, underlining the importance of Langhoff, but his abilities in the defence.

David Späth – Rhein-Neckar Löwen

When Germany won the trophy at the M19 EHF EURO 2021, two of their players were part of the All-Star Team: captain and right back Renars Uscins and goalkeeper David Späth. Because of a severe knee injury, Späth was ruled-out for much of 2022, but then was back when it counted. First, he secured Löwen’s German cup trophy in 2023 in the final against Magdeburg, then he steered Germany to the winners’ podium at the 2023 U21 world championship, again named All-star Team goalkeeper. Between the Löwen posts, the 22-year-old, two-metre tall stopper has a constant fight with the experienced Swede Mikael Appelgren, but mainly in the EHF European League he has proven to be the number one. With 129 saves he is fourth in the rankings, but number one in terms of save percentage (37.39). And Späth was Löwen’s key for the ticket to Hamburg, saving 31 shots overall (15+16) in the two quarter-finals against Sporting CP. In the German national team he is number two behind Andreas Wolff – and played an excellent EHF EURO 2024 as back-up to the super star.

David Móré – Rhein-Neckar Löwen

There is no bigger honour for a youngster, if everybody sees the successor of a club legend in you. David Móré is already nicknamed "the next Uwe Gensheimer" at Rhein-Neckar Löwen, and the 19-year-old left wing took over the role of long-term injured Gensheimer earlier this season. At the M18 EHF EURO 2022, he was Germany’s top scorer with 45 goals, was awarded as the All-star Team left wing and steered his side to the bronze medal in Montenegro. Unfortunately, an injury stopped him before the U19 world championship 2023, but now Móré is back on track for the lions and the U20 team, which aims for a medal in July at the U20 EHF EURO in Slovenia. With his 31 goals to date, he is the fifth highest EHF European League scorer for Rhein-Neckar Löwen, where he has just extended his contract until 2027.

Photos © Max Krause, Sylvia Goeres, JENS CHR NORDESTGAARD, HBC Nantes