Anyone who travels for business appreciates quiet time in the middle of a long business trip.

Packed between the USHL Fall Classic West in Omaha last weekend and the USHL Fall Classic East in Pittsburgh, Austria’s EC Red Bull Salzburg II junior team spent several days this week at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth. The team practiced on USA Hockey Arena’s ice and used the National Team Development Program’s training facilities.

The visit was a homecoming for NTDP coaching alum Matt Curley, who worked from 2010-12 and later assisted USA Hockey as a coach in the IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championships in 2013 and 2015.

Curley, his staff and his team were all impressed with USA Hockey Arena.

“It’s first-class,” Curley said.  “I spent two years with the NTDP in Ann Arbor. So coming back here, it’s really neat to see the progression. I heard stories about how last season was a transitional year, a lot of movement and the new office upstairs. I’m fortunate to come in and see what is close to a finished product."

“To me, this is great. It’s really first-class and I know we’ve really enjoyed being here. We appreciate (NTDP Senior Director, Operations) Scott Monaghan helping us out and giving us the opportunity to be here.”

Curley saw the visit to USA Hockey Arena as a teaching moment for his players, who come from all over Europe and Slovakia and range in age from 18-22.

“It’s great for our guys to see a facility like this and a program that I have a history with in the past,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for our guys to see a first-class, first-rate organization and how they are run. It’s been a great experience to (be able to) take a few days to take it all in, whether it’s on the ice or off the ice and to see how things are done here.”

While in town, Curley took his team to visit the Detroit-area, including taking in a Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park.

Last season EC Salzburg II traveled all over the world for games, playing in the USHL, British Columbia Hockey League, Boston and all over Europe. The team did not belong to an affiliated league.

This year, EC Salzburg II will play in the Alps Hockey League, joining older teams from Italy and Austria.

Curley said something that rings true to the development model of the NTDP.

“We hope that playing in a new league against older, stronger competition will help us take the next step,” he said. “That’s something that our players need to start working towards.”

USA Hockey and the NTDP regularly compete in international competition, often playing teams in Europe or Russia on their home ice.

Curley offers a view from the other side.

“I can’t stress the importance for our guys to see what’s on the other side of the pond,” he said. “In the United States or Canada, Finland, Russia and Sweden – the traditional great hockey countries – there’s a built-in culture. You have to see what you are playing against.”

Following their time in Pittsburgh, the Red Bull club will return to Austria.