Welcome to Around the Boards, Velvet Hockey’s guide to the
week that was in the Czech Republic and Slovakia hockey world. This week,
Slovan picked up a new head coach, Zlín continued to struggle and Ryan Hollweg
picked up a ten game ban.
Petri Matikainen
named new Slovan coach
Former Avangard coach Matikainen takes the helm Photo: hcslovan.sk
Despite all the Miloš
Říha was due to return to Slovan, the club announced this week that former
Avangard Omsk head coach Petri Matikainen would take up the post as Slovan
Bratislava head coach. Matikainen, who was previously the assistant coach of
the Finnish side for two years, joins after a disappointing year where he lost
two jobs, one at Avangard Omsk and the other at EBEL club Graz 99ers. The 37
year old left Finland in acrimonious circumstances in 2012, after HIFK sent
players to Espoo Blues in order to secure his services, only for Matikainen to
jump ship to the KHL (Credit to Antti Laurila, @supermurs for that
story).
Slovan’s website quotes General Manager Maros Krajči in saying:
"From the group of candidates for
the position of head coach, we have chosen Petri Matikainen based on excellent
references. He is an experienced Finnish coach, an excellent motivator and
strategist, with the added bonus of experience on the bench at Avangard Omsk.
Our new trainer promises to bring us a more attacking style, especially at
home. A strong Slovan support team is already at Matikainen's disposal today,
ready to do all they can to help him adapt to our country as quickly as
possible."
Matikainen will get his first taste of KHL action later on
Wednesday, as Slovan host Medveščak
Zagreb at the Slovnaft Arena.
Zlín in crisis?
Zlín currently prop up the Extraliga after four straight losses Photo: Jiří Zaňát, hokej.zlin.cz
It has not been a good start to the year for last season’s
champions PSG Zlín. Despite keeping nearly the exact same roster from last
season, it seems that a cloud is hanging over the Moravian club at the moment.
Losses to Extraliga newboys Mladá Boleslav and Olomouc in the opening few games
of the Extraliga season have taken the stuffing out of the champions, who on
Tuesday night, were battered in Sweden 8-0 by Djurgården in the Champions
Hockey League.
Now, there were some mitigating circumstances for the loss
in Sweden, as veterans Petr Čajanek, Petr Leška and Ondřej Veselý did not
travel, but it is endemic of a side whose defence has gone from being feared to
looking as porous as a colander. Luboš Horčička conceded 6 goals on 18 shots
against Djurgården.
In an interview posted on Tuesday, Ondřej Veselý said: ‘It
would be more useful if we regenerate and rest in order to prepare for Friday’s
home game with Pardubice. The worst part is the travel. If we were playing at
home it would be something else. When I woke up at eight am, I remembered the
guys were already on the road for three hours. I felt sorry for them.’
Speaking about his team’s rotten start to the season, where
they currently sit bottom of the Extraliga without a point, Veselý added: ‘Maybe
we underestimated the first games we played against the newcomers. It may be
that in the middle you lose four times in a row. For us it has happened at the
start of the season, and we hope we can improve soon' (source).
Sparta thrash
Slavia while Karlovy Vary get going
Delight at the o2 Arena for Sparta as they thrash city rivals Slavia Photo: Pavel Draslar, hcsparta.cz
Sunday saw the first Prague derby of the season take place,
and it was bad news for Ladislav Lubina, as his charges capitulated in the
first period and went down 5-2 at the o2 Arena against a rampant Sparta side.
Sparta chased Dominik Furch from the game in the first period, as they ended
the first period three goals to the good. After a false start to get the season
underway, it looks like Sparta are starting to fire on all cylinders, as they
have climbed up to 8thin the table. Slavia’s ill-discipline cost
them the points, as Sparta scored three times with the man advantage.
Goaltender Adam Svoboda, said after the game: 'We did not skate. Sparta skated
great. We unfortunately just stood there and then the guys have to take
penalties. If we do not play a disciplined game at 100% for 60 minutes, then we
don’t have a chance against a team like Sparta'.(source).
Another team who had a good week after a rotten start to the
season was Karlovy Vary. The unfancied side from the spa town picked up their
first two wins of the season to get off the bottom of the table. A 4-1 win over
Sparta in Gameday 4 was followed by a close fought 2-1 win over early season
flyers Hradec Kralove. In both games, 23 year old Vladislav Habal was in top
form between the pipes. In the two games this week, he made 75 saves on 77
shots. Habal spent most of last season in the 2.liga with HC Banik Sokolov.
At the top of the table, Litvinov continue to set the pace picking
up two more wins to give them a one point lead over Vitkovice. A Jiří Gula goal
with just 14 seconds left in the third period gave the Bohemian side a 4-3
victory over Mladá Boleslav, before thrashing Kometa Brno 6-1 on Sunday. Vitkovice
also had two wins out of two this week, edging fellow contenders Třinec and
basement dwellers Zlín.
It is starting to look a bit grim for Olomouc though, as the
Moravian newcomers lost to Kometa Brno and Pardubice this week. With only four
points through five games, they have slipped into 13th place in the
early Extraliga table.
Six point night
for Patrik Moskal
In Czech 1.liga news, Salith Šumperk forward Patrik Moskal
made headlines last Wednesday, as he picked up six points (2+4) in his side’s
7-4 victory over Motor Češke Budějovice. Moskal currently has 13 points through
5 games as Šumperk sit 5th in the 1.liga table.
The current pacesetters in the Czech second division are Horácká
Slavia Třebíč, who are undefeated through five games. Hot on their heels are Benátky
nad Jizerou and Stadion Litoměřice, with the latter having a remarkable
defensive record thanks to the early season performances of Tomáš Kral, who has
a save percentage of 96.5% through in the four games he has played for Litoměřice.
Piráti Chomutov have continued their rotten form from last
season in the Extraliga, as they currently sit in 10th place having
lost their last game against Benátky nad Jizerou. The other relegated Extraliga
side, Rytíři Kladno, are searching for consistency but currently sit in 4th
place in the table with three wins from five games. A 5-2 win last Wednesday
was followed up by a lacklustre 2-0 loss to Češke Budějovice.
Player of the
week: Martin Ručinský (HC Verva Litvinov)
Ručinský celebrates with Viktor Hubl, who just recorded his 550th game in a Litvinov jersey Photo: hokej-litvinov.cz
The oldest player in the Czech Extraliga is currently the
best, as 43 year old Martin Ručinský takes this week’s accolade. The former
NHLer picked up six points in two games, including a goal and three assists in
Litvinov’s demolition of Kometa Brno on Sunday. Still, the Olympic gold medal
winner from the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano was coy about his resurgence,
saying, ‘I don’t care that much [about points]. The only points that interested
me today are the three points we got as a team.’ Ručinský almost retired during
the off-season but was convinced to take the ice for one more season by coaches
Radim Rulík and Miloslav Hořava, and the Most native has repaid their faith as
Litvinov currently sit top of the Extraliga table and Ručinský is currently the
Extraliga’s top scorer (source).
Another week and seemingly another ban for HC Škoda Plzeň’s
Ryan Hollweg. The 31 year old American was handed the ban by the ČSLH (Czech
Hockey Association) for his knee-on-knee hit on former teammate Tomáš Vlasák in
the game against Slavia Praha at the o2 Arena on Friday. For Hollweg, it is
another strike on his ever increasing Extraliga rap-sheet. An video of the
incident can be found below:
With the speed that Hollweg barrelled into Vlasák, it is
surprising that the Slavia forward didn’t come off worse for wear, and despite
his lack of injury, Hollweg was still handed the maximum ten game penalty for a
knee-on-knee hit. Quoting from the press release, the ČSLH ruled that Hollweg
had intended to bodycheck Vlasák, but when the latter attempted to dodge the
hit, Hollweg moved to make sure that he connected with Vlasák, with the result
being a knee-on-knee hit.
This is not the first suspension for Hollweg this season, as
he received a one match ban for an altercation in a game against Sparta Praha,
where he gave Slovak forward Martin Reway a hiding in front of the Sparta
bench (see below). This, along with Hollweg’s previous suspensions were taken into account
by the ČSLH in deciding the severity of the ban.
It is interesting to note that in an interview after the game, Vlasák said, “He is not a malicious player. It was a penalty, but I do
not think it was an attempt to injure”
Hollweg has truly made a name for himself
in the Czech Republic in his two seasons
Photo: Milan Podpera, hcskoda.cz
Hollweg, who has over 200 NHL games to his credit, moved to
the Czech Republic in 2012, and has been taken to heart by the Plzeň faithful,
who love his bang and crash style, which few have tried before in the
Extraliga. In his first season with the club, Plzeň won the Czech Extraliga,
and was given a relatively large amount of ice time by the club. Last season it
was a different story, as a serious injury brought an end to the Downey,
California native’s year after only 20 games, in which he tallied four points.
It is unfair to call Hollweg a loose cannon, as consistently
through his Extraliga career, he has been physical but has largely toed the
line. 180 penalty minutes through 60 games before this season is not what one would
call excessive, and it seems that the ČSLH have thrown the book at him.
It was a nasty knee-on-knee hit, which could have been a lot
worse. It definitely deserved some form of suspension, but I feel that ten
games is somewhat excessive for Hollweg. In addition, Slavia’s Michal Poletín,
who attempted to confront Ryan Hollweg, was handed a fine for his part in the
fracas.
Hockey fans in Bratislava woke up to a shock this morning, as Slovan Bratislava announced on their website that the team and head coach Rostislav Čada had come to an agreement over the termination of the latter’s contract. For all intents and purposes it appears that Čada asked to be released from his contract rather than being fired by the club.
Photo from Rostislav Čada's last game in charge of Slovan
Photo: hcslovan.sk
Čada has had a mixed bag of success since joining Slovan Bratislava in 2012, upon their entry to the KHL. The Czech born coach had floundered with Avangard Omsk, but found his niche with a battling Slovan side, and whilst his brand of defensive hockey may have been dour at times, it did get results. Slovan’s first season in the KHL was an unmitigated success, as the team with one of the smallest budgets in the KHL made it to the Gagarin Cup Playoffs.
However, Jaroslav Janus and the rest of Slovan’s capitulation to Dinamo Moscow in the 2012/13 playoffs set the tone of things to come, and last season was one of frustration at the Slovnaft Arena. The sole Slovak team in the KHL toiled but could only finish 11th in the Western Conference, meaning it was the Nadezhda Cup rather than the Gagarin Cup they were playing for.
Despite this, Rostislav Čada’s time in Bratislava will be well remembered, as he managed to make what should’ve been a struggler, into a competitor. Slovan have consistently punched above their weight against the giants of Russian hockey, and Čada’s style of play has been an integral part of the club picking up historic victories over the likes of SKA St. Petersburg, Ak Bars Kazan and Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Over the past two seasons, Čada’s brand of counter-attacking hockey, relying on the speed of players like captain Milan Bartovič and Libor Hudáček has proven successful, especially when paired with the incredible performances of Jaroslav Janus, especially in 2012/13.
The announcement on Slovan Bratislava’s webpage is as follows: “HC Slovan Bratislava thanks Rostislav Čada for the honesty and responsibility he showed during his 29-month tenure in Bratislava for our cub. We wish him every success in his future work and private life."
Without wishing to enter the realm of counter-factual reporting, Slovan’s recent turn in results may have convinced Čada that he had achieved all that he could have with his limited resources. After three wins out of three to start the current campaign, Slovan’s luck has turned, and most recently a toothless 3-0 loss on home ice to strugglers Severstal Cherepovets may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Slovan's fans have supported the team in their droves, yet
budgets remain tight at the Slovnaft Arena
Photo: hcslovan.sk
To try and give some context to Slovan’s financial battle, GM Maroš Krajči announced last week that Slovan’s budget for the coming KHL season would be €13million. Using figures compiled by sports.ru, for the 2013/14 season, Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov make €8million and €5.8million respectively on their own. What’s more, no Slovan players featured in the top-90 paid KHL players according to the same website. According to official figures released by the KHL Slovan’s budget was the second lowest in the KHL last season, a startling seven times less than top spenders SKA St. Petersburg. Within this environment, it is a miracle that Čada was even able to get Slovan to the playoffs in the first place.
Vladimir Országh becomes Slovan's interim coach
along with Ján Lipianský
Photo: bystricoviny.sk/
Slovan announced that their interim coaches would be former NHLer Vladimir Országh and former Slovan fan favourite Ján Lipianský, who played for the club during their first KHL campaign before hanging up the skates. While this coaching pair will only have the job temporarily, it will be interesting to see how the team performs under the tutelage of the pair. Országh is being tipped as one of Slovakia’s best young coaches and will potentially be given the job when current national team coach Vladimir Vůjtek leaves the post. Országh had spent the last two seasons as head coach of Banska Bystrica in the Slovak Extraliga, and was named assistant coach of the Slovak national team in the summer of 2013 as a nod towards his potential. Still only 37 years of age, Országh has a lot to learn, but getting thrown in at the deep end may not be the worst thing for the former Nashville Predator.
It doesn’t get much tougher for Országh, Lipianský and Slovan as they look to break their three game losing streak against Alexander Radulov and his CSKA Moscow side at the Slovnaft Arena on Saturday. CSKA have won five games out of six so far this season, whilst a Slovan loss may see the team fall out of the playoff positions already.
I, for one, will miss Čada. I think he did a fantastic job with what he had before him, and has made Slovan into a competent and competitive KHL team. I’m going to miss seeing him on the bench at the Slovnaft Arena, where peculiarly he stood in front of his players, right at ice level. Who knows what is next for the Brno native, but Velvet Hockey wishes him all the best.
Welcome to the second edition of Around The Boards, Velvet
Hockey’s weekly digest giving the lowdown on all the biggest news from the Czech
and Slovak hockey worlds. Both the Czech and Slovak Extraligas got underway
over the weekend, and there are some unlikely faces at the top of both leagues.
However, the weekend was a tragic one with Slovak hockey.
Slovakia still coming to terms with tragedy
Miroslav Hlinka
Photo: img.cas.sk
It is with great sadness that despite the great action on
the ice this weekend, I begin this week’s Around The Boards dealing with events
that have taken place away from hockey. The Slovak hockey world is without
three major figures this week, as two former players and the long-serving
Slovak national team doctor Vladimir Luptak passed away. Velvet Hockey
discussed this in depth on Monday, following the details of the suicide of
former Nitra player Miroslav Kováčík, two days after Miroslav Hlinka also took
his own life. Hlinka, a World Champion with Slovakia in 2002, was due to take up
the assistant coach’s role at Banska Bystrica.
The news has resulted in a large amount of soul-searching in
both countries, as fans and officials alike attempt to come to terms and
ascertain the reasons behind the tragedy. No news has been forthcoming since Velvet Hockey posted its reaction to the deaths on Monday.
Slovan quickly unravelling
Slovan Bratislava got off to a fantastic start to their
third KHL campaign. Velvet Hockey waxed lyrically about the KHL’s sole Slovak
participant, after the won their first three games of the season. However, the
wheels have come off somewhat this week, as losses to Ak Bars Kazan, Torpedo
Nizhny Novgorod and Severstal Cherepovets, the latter of which was a dire 3-0
defeat on home ice.
Ladislav Nagy continues to lead the line, having scored five
times in six games, but the likes of Michal Vondrka, Rok Tičar and Tomáš Surový
have flattered to deceive in front of goal. Jaroslav Janus got his first action
of the season in Slovan’s shootout loss to Torpedo, and acquitted himself well,
but looked average in their capitulation to Severstal, which leads me to
believe that Johan Backlund will start for Slovan’s next game against CSKA
Moscow, which comes after a brief four game break. Slovan will be boosted by
the return from injury of new defenceman Kurtis Foster, who played for
Medveščak Zagreb last season.
Cancelled games cause problems in CZ and SK
Banska Bystrica got the game postponed, but Zvolen were awarded the three points Photo: TASR
The first weekend in the Czech and Slovak Extraligas brought
some peculiarities, including two games that were postponed whilst in play. In
Slovakia, Zvolen hosted Banska Bystrica on the first gameday of the season, but
the game was postponed with only ninety seconds to go due to flares let off by
the Banska Bystrica fans as Zvolen led 4-3. It was a miraculous comeback by
Zvolen, who had been 3-0 down in the third period, and as tensions ran high in
the Banska Bystrica fan section. The smoke from the flares which were set off
covered the ice in smoke, and despite the officials giving an hour’s grace, the
smoke would not dissipate. Vladimír Baluška, one of the referees, said in an
interview, “We saw how the smoke spread and the situation is unusual and
dangerous meaning we had to interrupt the game as we have to protect the player’s
health. This is the first time we have encountered such a situation.” The SZLH
ruled later that the result would stand, handing Zvolen the 3 points. (source)
Unplayable conditions at the Kajot Arena Photo: Ivo Dostal
Lack of visibility was also the culprit at the Kajot Arena
in Brno, as Kometa’s game against PSG Zlin, which was being broadcast live on
the major sport channel in the Czech Republic (ČT Sport) was brought to a halt
after just 13 minutes. A warm September in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia
has made mist a problem in many arenas. The fog was especially bad at the end
where Kometa were attacking, and Zlin’s goaltender Libor Kašík was notably
animated. There was no score in the game before it was postponed.
Zlín still without a win
Libor Kašík hits the deck in Zlín's season opener
Photo: Jiří Zaňát hokej.zlin.cz
The cancelled game at the Kajot Arena has left Zlín in a
rather sorry state, as the defending Extraliga champions currently sit in 13th
place after three gamedays. The Moravian side started the season in perhaps the
worst possible way, looking average as Extraliga new boys Mladá Boleslav
humiliated them 5-2 at the Zimni stadion Luďka Čajky. It didn’t get much better
on Tuesday, as other Extraliga newcomers HC Olomouc, defeated their Moravian
rivals to claim their first Extraliga win under their belt. Zlín went 2-0 up in
the first period through goals from Bedřich Köhler and new signing Roman Vlach,
but Olomouc rallied back in the third second period to take an unassailable 3-2
lead. Defensively, Zlín look fragile, and that’s not something that you would
have thought after they retained all of their defensive unit bar Petr Zamorský.
Certainly more will be expected from last season’s top Extraliga goalie Libor
Kašík, who has conceded eight goals in two games and a save percentage well
below 90%
Litvinov and Mladá Boleslav impress, while Sparta
splutter
The first three gamedays have left my Extraliga preview
looking rather silly, as two of the teams that I had pencilled in to finish in
the bottom four, are in first and third place respectively. Whilst Zlín’s
goaltending has been a problem, current league leaders Litvinov have arguably
the best goaltender in the Czech Republic. Pavel Francouz, who was Litvinov’s
one shining light in a dreadful season last year, has continued his fine form,
picking up three wins out of three. The 24-year old shutout bottom of the table
Karlovy Vary in the first game, before shutting up shop in the shootout as the
side from North Bohemia defeated both Plzeň and Třinec. Both victories are
massive scalps for a side desperate to get back into the playoffs.
Mladá Boleslav yet to lose in the Extraliga this year
Photo: Jan Pavlíček, bkboleslav.cz
Despite all of their summer signings, it is the old boys at
Mladá Boleslav who are leading the charge. The 1.liga champions have taken to
the Extraliga like a duck to water, and have won two games out of three in what
was an incredibly tricky start to their return to the Czech top flight. Their
aforementioned win against Zlín was followed by a loss in Pardubice, but on
Monday the side got their first win against Sparta at the Tipsport Arena in
their history. Former Sparta captain Michal Broš had a goal and an assist and Tomáš
Klimenta bagged a brace as Mladá Boleslav battled to a 4-3 victory. Tomáš Hyka
and Dominik Pacovský have struggled to adapt to their new surroundings though,
as Mladá Boleslav’s two major summer acquisitions only have one point between
them so far.
Sparta’s loss to Mladá Boleslav sums up what has been a
so-so start to the season. Despite sitting top of an extremely tight Group G in
the Champions Hockey League, Sparta have already lost two games this season,
with Mountfield Hradec Kralove picking up a solid 3-1 victory on home ice
against last season’s regular season champions. The pieces are there but it
doesn’t seem that Josef Jandáč has
worked out how best to use his abundance of talent. As defenceman Michal
Barinka said following the loss to Mladá Boleslav, “We have to start
from zero. The results will come.” Sparta will be hoping that the results will come, especially with the first Prague derby of the season being on Sunday.source)
Zvolen leading the way
In Slovakia, the surprise
league leaders after four games is Zvolen, who are the only team in both
countries to still have a 100% record. In front of goal, Zvolen have been
imperious, netting 13 times in the three games. Most remarkably, the team
already has twelve different goal scorers to its name, as Andrej Podkonický is
the only player to have found the back of the net twice. Despite their loss to
Zvolen, Poprad are currently in second place, a remarkable achievement for a
club dogged by financial uncertainty. The side from the Tatras has gone through
a number of difficult years especially following the failed Lev Poprad project,
are at least doing the business on the ice. Tomáš Sýkora already has three
goals to his name. Defending champions Košice sit in third place after three
games where they have only conceded eight goals.
Player of the week:
Michal Hlinka
Photo: sportky.sk/SITA
Michal Hlinka (HK Dukla Trenčín)
Any other week would’ve been Litvinov’s goaltender Pavel
Francouz, but special mention must go to Michal Hlinka, the son of Miroslav
Hlinka. The 21-year old forward has dealt with the death of his father like a
man far beyond his years, and continues to train and even featured for the club
in Tuesday’s victory against Skalica. Richard Lintner, who plays for Dukla and
was a national team teammate with Michal’s father for a number of years said, “We,
Dukla, are Michal’s second family and we stand by him and will try to create
the conditions to help him as a young male support his family.” All games in
Slovakia were marked by a moment of silence before faceoff on Tuesday. (source)
Play of the week:Ladislav Nagy (Slovan Bratislava)
This week, we turn to the KHL and Ladislav Nagy’s beautiful coast-to-coast goal
against Ak Bars Kazan. Sadly, Slovan couldn’t pick up the win, losing 4-3 in a
close fought game, but this goal by Nagy will live long in the memory.
This week’s pick of the action:
Friday: Mladá Boleslav vs Litvínov (16:30 GMT)
Saturday: Slovan Bratislava vs CSKA Moscow (16:30 GMT)
The first weekend of a new season is where all the hope and
optimism generated during four months without hockey comes together. Fans go
into the year hoping for the best, and while for some it will be a season of
success, for others, this may just be the only happy time during the whole
season… Well until at least it ends.
However, Slovakia is waking up on Monday morning to the news
that three people within the hockey world have passed away over the course of
the weekend. The deaths of Miroslav Hlinka, Miroslav Kováčík and long-time Slovak national team
doctor Vladimir Luptak, all before their time, has left a number of questions
to be answered and has cast a sombre veil down on Slovak hockey. Hlinka and Kováčík took their own lives, whilst Luptak,
who died following a long battle with illness. He was 50 years of age.
Miroslav Hlinka won gold with Slovakia in 2002
Photo: Imago/East News
Miroslav Hlinka
was one of Slovakia’s premier European-based players during the first decade of
the 21st century. The Trenčín native learned his trade with his home town
Dukla, before movig first to the Czech Republic, and then on to the rest of
Europe. He played for Sparta Praha for four seasons, before having a prolific
career in Finland with Jokerit, Sweden with MODO and Russia with Dinamo Moscow.
Wherever he went, Hlinka brought success, having won the Czech Extraliga in
2004, Finnish and Swedish silver medals in 2000 and 2002 respectively. Most
notably, Hlinka was a member of the famous Slovak team which won IIHF World
Championship Gold in Sweden in 2002. He scored two points in the tournament
which is still down in the history books as Slovakia’s greatest hockey triumph.
Cousin of former
NHLer and prolific forward Jaroslav Hlinka, Miroslav Hlinka was more than just
an on-ice force. He was given the captaincy at Pardubice and Chomutov, and kept
on playing into his 43rd year, as he spent last season in the Slovak 1.liga
with HK Trnava, before hanging up the skates and taking an assistant coaching
position with Slovak Extraliga team, Banska Bystrica.
In an interview
with Czech press, Jaroslav Hlinka said that he found out about his cousin’s
death immediately after Sparta Praha’s 3-1 loss to Hradec Kralove on Sunday. “When
I heard the news, I began to remember our experiences. When I was younger, Miro
was like a big brother. He played hockey and I looked up to him. We did not
grow up together, but when I knew that he was a good hockey player…I guess, in
public, Miro always appeared chilled, but probably was hiding something.”
Tributes came from other major figures within Slovak hockey.
Hlinka’s teammate from his time with the Slovak national team, Ladislav Nagy,
said, ‘I’m shocked. We were in contact when we [Slovan Bratislava] played in
Banska Bystrica during preseason. He looked fine then. I don’t understand what
happened.”
Additionally, HC Košice defenceman and also fellow national team teammate Martin Štrbák
said, “When someone leaves the world who you know very well, it is very
sad. I don’t know what was the cause, but he must have suffered greatly … Miro
was my roommate at the World Championships when in 2002 we became the world
champion and we got together three medals. It is difficult for me to talk
about. I’m in shock. I do not have words.”
News of Miroslav Kováčík's death broke Monday
Photo: hokej.sk
Most recently, news broke on Monday morning about another
Slovak hockey player taking his own life, as forward Miroslav Kováčík passed
away at the age of 35. Born in Nitra, Kováčík had a prosperous career which saw
him play in Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. He also featured
for Slovakia at three World Championships. Last season, he was part of the HK
Nitra team who were beaten finalists in the Slovak Extraliga, with Kováčík
scoring 20 goals during the regular season. The news was broken by MHK Dubnica,
for whom both Hlinka and Kováčík both worked for in off-ice capacities.
This recent blow to Slovak hockey has left many asking the
same questions which emerged following the deaths of Wade Belak, Derek Boogaard
and Rick Rypien three years ago. It just may be that the timings of these
deaths were coincidence, but the fact that hockey players continue to be
plagued by ailments such as depression is something that still needs
addressing.
More news will come in due course as investigations take
place into all three deaths which have dealt a body blow to Slovak hockey this weekend.
The words tragedy and saddening have been used in the Slovak press as
adjectives to describe the deaths of Hlinka, Kováčík and Luptak, which
perfectly captures the shock and grief that is now with Slovak hockey fans.
Welcome to Around The Boards, Velvet Hockey’s new weekly
digest out every Wednesday giving the lowdown on all the biggest news from the
Czech Republic and Slovakia. With the hockey season in its embryonic stages,
today’s ATB takes a look at Slovan’s scintillating start, Kladno’s new life in
the 1.liga and a brief Slovak Extraliga season.
Slovan Bratislava flying high on the road
Three games, three wins. Slovan have started in top gear
Photo: metallurg.ru
It is fair to say that last season was somewhat of a
disappointment for Slovan Bratislava. The team impressed in their debut season
in the KHL, before crashing to eventual Gagarin Cup champions Dinamo Moscow,
but last year Slovan struggled to gain any sort of momentum and missed out on
the postseason. The team has strengthened, especially defensively, during the
offseason, and it looks like a new lease of life has been given to Rostislav
Čada’s team, as they currently sit third in the Western Conference with a 100%
start.
Two of the keys to Slovan’s hot start have been new signings
Ladislav Nagy and Johan Backlund. Nagy, who split last season with HC Košice and Jokerit in the
Finnish Liiga, signed for the club after making his return to the Slovak
national team after a three year absence. Somewhat of a journeyman since his
return from the NHL, Nagy appears to be enjoying an Indian summer as the 35
year old has found the back of the net four times in three days. He had the
best debut possible for his new team, scoring a hattrick at the Slovnaft Arena
as Slovan defeated Medveščak 5-2 in their opening game.
Nagy would also score the game winner for Slovan against
reigning Gagarin Cup champions Metallurg Magnitogorsk, an incredible result on
the road for the Slovak side. Most recently, they scraped a 3-1 victory over
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.
Key to all three of these victories has been the performance
of new Swedish goaltender, Johan Backlund. After two seasons, Slovan finally
realised that they had to spend some money in order to get a quality backup for
Jaroslav Janus, who has been prone to suffer from burnout due to his heavy
workload during the regular season. Backlund was given the start against Medveščak
and has kept his place in Slovan’s other two games so far. Whilst not the most
convincing goaltender, and prone to conceding a soft goal such as Metallurg’s
opener on Sunday, Backlund has been on the whole stellar, and a 93.2% save
percentage is nothing to sniff at. I will admit that when his signing was
announced, I was rather wary following his disappointing numbers for Vityaz
Podolsk last season, but the 33 year old Swede is proving both me and other
doubters wrong with his play so far.
Slovan will be looking to keep up their good form today as
they face Ak Bars Kazan in the final game of their opening three game Russian
road trip. The side from Bratislava should enter the game with little fear
though, as they have a good record over their Tatar opposition, however, one
should bank on the game going to overtime, as all of the games over the last
two years between the two teams have ended equal after 60 minutes.
Drop that puck
HK Poprad kicked off the SK Extraliga
season with a 4-2 win over HK Orange 20
Photo: hokejportal.net
League action is finally underway in both the Czech Republic
and Slovakia. The Slovak Extraliga kicked off with a game between HK Orange 20
and Poprad, who just about managed to gain entry back into the league after
another summer of financial problems. They were given an extension to apply for
their Extraliga licence, and fortunately the club from the Tatras managed to
complete all their obligations in time. Poprad ran out 4-2 winners with Tomáš Sýkora bagging a hattrick.
Marquee summer signing Luboš
Bartečko, Lev Poprad’s captain back in 2011/12, added two assists on his return
to the Slovak Extraliga.
It has been
somewhat a stranger summer in the Slovak Extraliga, and a number of veterans
have returned to their native land. Dukla Trenčín, rebuilding after a
disasterous year where they finished ninth last season, picked up former Slovak
national team regular Branko Radivojevic, as well as signing former Extraliga
winning goaltender, Branislav Konrád, looking to get his career back on track
after Slovan had to leave him behind in their jump to the KHL. Richard Lintner
also returns after splitting last season with Dukla and Dinamo Minsk.
Other big
signings in the Slovak Extraliga this summer include Milan Kytnar moving to
Banska Bystrica, Radoslav Illo returning from seven years in North America to
sign for Martín and Žilina’s signing of Jaroslav Kristek.
Košice look
favourites to win the Extraliga, although one would be remiss to ignore Nitra. Jozef Stümpel was in fantastic form
last season, scoring 67 points and leading Nitra to the Extraliga finals, where
they eventually lost in seven games to Košice. Now 42 years of age, Stümpel signed on late in the summer for
another season with his hometown club, with the hope of delivering Nitra its
first Extraliga title.
Kladno start off
life in the 1.liga with a win
Jaromir Jágr behind the bench at Most
Photo: Tomáš Kostečka, hc-kladno.cz
There has been a
lot of soul searching at Kladno over the summer, as the Knights (Rytiři) have
been licking their wounds following their relegation from the Extraliga in rather
calamitous circumstances. Team owner Jaromir Jágr was on the bench as
Kladno began their promotion campaign in Northern Bohemia, where they took on
Most. A third period brace from Jan Eberle helped Kladno secure a 5-1 victory
on the road.
It has been a summer of change for Kladno, not least as
captain of seven seasons, Pavel Patera, left the club to keep his Extraliga
career alive with new boys HC Olomouc. Tomáš Kaberle’s return to the NHL also
leaves a massive void in the defensive unit, as does Třinec’s signing of the
Doudera brothers.
News in Brief:
In some of the least surprising news ever, Slavia today
announced that top scorer and all round good guy Jaroslav Bednář will be the
team’s captain for the coming Extraliga season after Petr Kadlec left for Plzeň.
The 37 year old forward, who angered the Sešívani whilst still a youngster
after making the cross city switch to Sparta, will start his ninth season with
Slavia with the C on his jersey after being an alternate captain last season. (source)
ŠHK 37 Piešťany president Jaroslav Lušňák announced this
week that the EBEL was now a “closed door” for the club. Piešťany are the
Slovak Extraliga’s newest club, having joined the Slovak top tier two seasons
ago and have taken like a duck to water, reaching the playoff semi-finals twice
in two years. Whilst still plugging away in the 1.liga ŠHK 37 attempted for
three seasons to gain entry to the EBEL, only to be denied permission by the
Slovak Federation. “It certainly would not have been a bad thing that we would
have represented the whole of Slovakia, but what happened, happened, and we are
happy we can play in the Extraliga”, added Lušňák. Piešťany also felt the
financial pinch over the offseason, and budgets look to be lower there for the
coming season. (source)
HC Olomouc have strengthened once more following my preview three weeks ago that pencilled them in to finish bottom of the Extraliga table. Petr Fiala's team have just announced they have penned a deal with Slovak forward Martin Cíbak, who split last season with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk and Vityaz Podolsk of the KHL, scoring 15 points in 54 games. Cibak has represented Slovakia at two World Championsips and was a member of the 2010 Olympic roster. (source)
Finally, all signs are pointing towards Martin Ručinský signing on for one more season with Litvinov. A number of Czech journalists on Twitter today have confirmed Ručinský's signing. The 43 year old played 45 times for Litvinov last season, scoring 27 points. He looks set to join Jiří Šlegr on the North Bohemian team's roster. (source)
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This week's pick of the action
Wednesday: Ak Bars Kazan vs Slovan Bratislava (16:30 GMT)
Friday: Třinec vs
Pardubice (17:20 GMT)
Sunday: Nitra vs Piešťany (16:00 GMT)
Tuesday: Slovan Bratislava vs Severstal Cherepovets (18:00
GMT)
It is a date that will
strike a nerve in hockey fans from now until the end of time. When Lokomotiv
Yaroslavl’s chartered Yak-42 careered into the ground yards from the runway,
time seemingly stood still. I can still remember exactly when I was when I
first saw the news appear on my Twitter feed, and then I spent most of the day
glued to Russia Today to get any updates in the vain hope that at least one
Lokomotiv player would survive from the crash. The heart-breaking tale of Aleksandr
Galimov, who was rescued from the wreckage only to succumb five days later to
his injuries is one that will live forever in my memory.
Vitaly Anikeyenko, Yuri Bakhvlov, Mikhail Balandin, Aleksandr
Belyaev, Gennady Churilov, Pavol Demitra, Robert Dietrich, Alexander Galimov,
Marat Kalimulin, Alexander Kalyanin, Alexander Karpovtsev, Andrei Kiryukhin,
Nikita Klyukin, Igor Korolev, Nikolai Krivonosov, Yevgeni Kunnov, Vyacheslav
Kuznetsov, Stefan Liv, Jan Marek, Brad McCrimon, Sergei Ostapchuk, Vladimir
Piskunov, Karel Rachůnek, Ruslan Salei, Maxim Shuvalov, Kārlis Skrastiņš, Pavel
Snurnitsyn, Daniil Sobchenko, Yevgeni Sidorov, Ivan Tkachenko, Pavel Trakhanov,
Yuri Urychev, Josef Vašíček, Alexander Vasyunov, Alexander Vyukhin, Artem
Yarchuk, Andrei Zimin.
37 men. 37 families torn apart by tragedy. As fans, we
remember the great pieces of play that these players were responsible for, but
we are simply unable to quantify just how much of a tragedy this crash was for
the families. For me, the loss of Pavol Demitra was the one that hurt the most,
as just a few months earlier, I remember ‘Palo’ in tears on the ice of the
Slovnaft Arena in Bratislava after he announced his retirement from the Slovak national
team. Demitra, who had been Slovakia’s talisman at the 2010 Winter Olympics in
Vancouver, had sent the whole country into raptures after scoring Slovakia’s
famous shootout winner over Russia, one of the country’s biggest hockey
achievements since winning World Championship gold in 2002. On the first
anniversary of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, I happened to be in Trenčín
in Slovakia, where I paid my respects in front of the now renamed Zimný štadión
Pavla Demitru. I watched Dukla play Žilina in a pre-season game and in the 38th minute, the whistle blew, Dukla
fans threw roses onto the ice and both teams and both sets of fans observed a
two minute’s silence.
However, the impact that these players had off the ice was arguably
greater than their impact off of the ice. Stories emerged such as the tale of
former Russian national team forward Ivan Tkachenko, a Yaroslavl native and
Lokomotiv’s prospective captain for their 2011/12 KHL campaign. Tkachenko had
donated one million rubles anonymously to a cancer victim in the nearby city of
Voronezh. His gratitude was only made public following the Lokomotiv plane
crash due his wish to remain anonymous.
Thousands paid their respects in Prague as the news reached
the Czech Republic of the deaths of Karel Rachůnek
Josef Vašíček and Jan Marek
Photo: idnes.cz
The start of the KHL season was delayed for a week, and a
touching ceremony at the Minsk Arena, where Lokomotiv were meant to be flying
to start their season, was put on by Dinamo Minsk with portraits of the dead
displayed on the ice. All across Europe, memorials were constructed to honour
each country’s lost heroes. In Prague, Old Town Square (Staromětské Náměstí) was full of candles as fans paid
their respects to the three Czech players who were involved in the tragedy.
Talk quickly
turned to simply where Lokomotiv could go from here. Would the franchise fold?
Could they rebuild a team for the current KHL season? All the teams in the KHL
discussed the possibility of loaning players to the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
franchise to help the club back on it’s feet.
However, it was
quickly announced that Lokomotiv Yaroslavl would be given special dispensation
to play in the VHL, the second tier of Russian hockey. The team would comprise
largely of players from Lokomotiv’s youth team which played in the MHL. The
Western Conference standings were reworked so that places in the playoffs would
be determined by points percentage, to account for the fewer games that
Lokomotiv would play in the VHL. The club made its VHL debut on the 12th
December, defeating Neftyanik Almetevsk 5-1 on home ice. Dmitri Maltsev scored
the first goal for the ‘reborn’ Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
In their only VHL campaign, Lokomotiv would finish third in
the Western Conference, defeating HK VMF in the first round of playoffs. Dizel
Penza were too tough an opponent in the Western semi-finals, and Lokomotiv
bowed out of the VHL with their heads held high. It was a fantastic project to
help rebuild hockey in Yaroslavl, using the youngsters who formed the basis of Lokomotiv’s
youth program. A number of players used the experience to help their junior
development, and it is fitting that the likes of Kirill Kapustin, Ilya
Lyubushkin and Yegor Yakovlev currently feature on Lokomotiv’s KHL roster after
helping the team rebuild. Yakovlev made his World Championship debut for Russia
in 2014, at the tender age of 22.
The summer of 2012 saw Lokomotiv truly rebuild as they put
together a strong looking roster. Vitali Kolesnik and Curtis Sanford signed as
the team’s two goaltenders, while the likes of Staffan Kronwall, Sami Lepisto,
Vitali Vishnevski, Alexei Kalyuzhny, Oleg Petrov and Niklas Hagman all signed
for head coach Tom Rowe. The former Carolina Hurricanes coach would get just
over a year in charge before being fired. In their two seasons since returning
to the KHL, Lokomotiv made the playoffs. In 2012/13 they lost to Severstal
Cherepovets, whilst the club made it as far as the Western Conference finals
last season, before losing in five games to the now defunct HC Lev Praha.
Former Team Switzerland coach Sean Simpson is now at the
helm in Yaroslavl, and the club enters the 2014/15 with a sense of optimism.
Sanford and Kolesnik remain between the pipes whilst hometown hero Ilya
Gorokhov enters his second season with the C on his jersey after an incredibly
successful spell with Dynamo Moscow. This summer has seen both Martin Thornberg
and Jiří Novotný join from
Lev Praha, and Sergei Plotnikov remains at the club, as the 24 year old is fast
becoming one of the premier Russian forwards in the KHL.
Lokomotiv shocked SKA St. Petersburg in the 2013/14 playoffs
Photo: Yaroslav and Julia Neelova, hclokomotiv.ru
The way that Lokomotiv Yaroslavl has been able to rise like
a phoenix from the ashes of disaster is testament to the strength of the people
in the city of Yaroslavl and is endemic of how proud they are of their
franchise. The team was consistently able to sell out their VHL games, and now
the Arena 2000 is packed every game. The Lokomotiv jerseys are still emblazoned
with a black ribbon, with the date 07.09.11, as a testament to how despite the
crash, the current crop of players still represent that same Lokomotiv
Yaroslavl that those fallen heroes did.
Bouncebackability is a word commonly used in football
terminology, but never has it been so apt than in the case of Lokomotiv.
Seven straight finals appearances. Four championships between 2009 and 2014. Like it or not, HC Košice Steel are the definition of a dynasty. A barren decade between their title win in 1999, Košice looked to rebuild, and with the help of major sponsor U.S. Steel, who run the gigantic steel plant in the city, a new arena and new success followed. Košice won three straight titles between 2009 and 2011, humiliating their cross-country rivals from the capital, Slovan Bratislava.
All would seem to be going well in Košice, as the reigning Slovak champions head into the 2014/15 campaign looking to repeat their success from last season, where they defeated HK Nitra in the finals, romping to a 6-0 victory in game seven at the Steel Arena. However, one look at their preseason and Champions Hockey League campaigns, and it is clear that something is not quite right in the Steel City.
All smiles five months ago. But pre-season has not been kind to the Slovak Champions
Photo: František Iván, teraz.sk
Košice currently sit bottom of Group A in the Champions Hockey League, having lost all three games so far. If there is any consolation to be had, all of the losses have been by a one goal margin, but seeing the Slovak champions losing to German outfit Kölner Haie, and Czech also-rans Bilí Tygři Liberec is somewhat surprising. Another mitigating circumstance may be that they simply did not travel well, as both of those losses came away from the Steel Arena, but is it a true representation of the current level of Slovak domestic hockey?
In 2011, the news broke that both Slovan Bratislava and HC Košice were looking to become part of the Czech Extraliga. However, their neighbours to the east vetoed the move, with 13 out of 14 Extraliga clubs citing the additional travel costs as the major factor in denying the formation of a ¨new¨ Extraliga featuring clubs from both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Following this and Slovan’s departure to the KHL in the summer of 2012, the Slovak Extraliga has struggled desperately financially, leading to a major drain of talent. Teams such as Poprad, Martín and most recently HK36 Skalica have made public their financial problems and look set to no longer be Slovan’s farm team. (link)
Three years ago, personally, I believe that both Slovan and Košice could have been welcome additions to the Czech Extraliga, and the quality that both teams possessed would have seen them easily be competitive. This summer, however, Košice have consistently struggled against teams from Czech Republic. In the Steel Cup, played in the middle of August, Košice took on HC Oceláři Třinec and HC Vitkovice Steel from across the border, and both games saw the Czech teams run out winners, 4-0 and 4-2 respectively. In fact the only success that Košice have had in pre-season so far has been in their most recent game, where they got revenge on MHC Martín, who won at the Steel Arena in early August, as Adam Lapšanský scored in overtime to end Košice’s non-competitive pre-season program with a win.
It’s only pre-season, I hear you say, and that may be true. However, comparing this season’s Košice roster to last season’s title winning side makes for grim reading. Rastislav Staňa joins Sparta Praha after leading Košice’s playoff charge with a 94.4% save percentage in the postseason. Defensive anchor Radek Deyl and solid two way centre Tomáš Marcinko also head to the Czech Republic, joining Karlovy Vary and Pardubice respectively. Last season’s top scorer, Peter Bartoš is now 41 years of age, and not to be ageist, but time is not on his side.
Coming into the side is Radek Philipp, from Sparta Praha, but the 37 year old defenceman’s career is now on the downturn. Marek Zagrapan was signed from Třinec, but was released along with Tomáš Klouček in the last few days (link).
If one compares Košice’s present roster with their team of 2010/11, which won the last of their trio of consecutive titles, it is clear how Slovakia’s domestic downturn has taken hold. Július Hudáček cut his teeth with Košice, and he has yet to be truly replaced at Košice. Alexander Hýlak will tend goal for Košice for the coming season, but the Czech netminder never made it as a Czech Extraliga starting goalie before signing with Košice in 2011. Ján Tabaček and Michel Miklik both left to join Slovan and have not looked back since leaving Košice. Additionally, Vladmir Dravecký, Marcel Haščak and Jaroslav Kristek both tried the KHL and have moved onto bigger and better things. Crucially, what this highlights is that in the time between 2011 and the present day, Košice has not been able to replace the quality they had three years ago. Bartoš and Richard Jenčik remain, but the supporting cast is significantly weaker.
Erik Černák, Pride of Košice's junior system
Photo: sport.sk
If there is one crumb of comfort for Eastern Slovakia’s finest, it is that quality as a whole in the Slovak Extraliga has dropped along with Košice’s loss of talent. The best of Slovakia’s domestic talent is flocking not only to the KHL, but more so to the Czech Extraliga than ever before. Consequently, teams are turning to younger, Slovak talent, which may in fact be a positive step for Slovak hockey. Adam Janošik has been getting big minutes in pre-season since signing from Liberec in the Czech Extraliga, whilst Slovakia U20 graduate Milan Kolena has been centreing the top line. Additionally, Slovakia’s best prospect for a number of years, defenceman Erik Černák will look to bounce back from a rocky year and will likely play a greater part in Košice’s Extraliga team than last year. The Košice native played at the World Junior Championships at 16 years of age, and reflects the good work that Košice has been doing in producing quality talent. Černák will more than likely join Martin Marinčin and Tomáš Jurčo as top-60 NHL draft picks when he is eligible in 2016.
All in all, what started out as a rather scathing critique of Košice and the Slovak Extraliga as a whole seems to end on somewhat of a positive note, especially when at the time of writing, Košice are currently Liberec in their CHL game played at the Steel Arena. Two years ago I reflected on what I called Slovakia’s ‘long summer’, following Slovan’s departure, and once again I am left with mixed feelings. All of the negatives I have listed could also be interpreted as positives in one way or another. What I think is objective, however, is that Slovak hockey’s domestic strength is not what it was, and for better or worse, this is something that will have the head honchos at the SZLH questioning which step to take next. The HK Orange 20 project, which has seen the best of the domestic talent younger than 20 join as a team and play as part of the Extraliga until the World Junior Championships is entering its eighth season, and the results are less than tangible, yet the SZLH continues with the project. Even going back an age group, Slovakia once again finished the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament winless on home ice.
Košice will go into the current season favourites, and rightly so, but while they still remain a powerhouse in Slovak hockey, what is clear is that they are anything but a European powerhouse. What Pavol Zůbek, Anton Tomko and the rest of the backroom staff have to do to turn this around remains to be seen.
Each year as summer turns to autumn, there are always one or two European veterans who seemingly fall off the face of the earth as their NHL contracts expire and no news is forthcoming of there whereabouts. More often than not, this is the signal of a return home to Europe. This summer, the likes of Rostislav Klesla and Mikael Samuelsson have moved back to their respective native lands in order to prolong their careers by a few more seasons with HC Oceláři Třinec and Djurgården respectively.
At 37 years of age and over 1000 NHL games to his credit, Michal Handzuš has been one of the most understated NHLers in his fifteen season career in North America. After starting out with the St. Louis Blues, Handzuš played for six teams in total, with the pinnacle of his career being the Stanley Cup victory with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2012/13.
Handzuš was a major part of the Slovakia
team that won silver at the 2012 IIHF
World Championships
Photo: SITA, nhl.sk
However, the Banska Bystrica native is now a free agent, and with few NHL offers on the table after a disappointing 16 points in 59 games, it looks like Slovakia’s KHL representative, HC Slovan Bratislava, may be in the market for the big bodied centre. Handzuš is a player respected by many in Slovakia, not least due his commitment to the national team. Slovakia has been plagued in recent seasons with many of the now few Slovaks in the NHL refusing to attend the World Championships, but when situations have allowed, Handzuš is a regular attendee.
The news of Slovan’s pursuit of Handzuš was reiterated by Slovan General Manager Maros Krajči. Sport.sk quotes Krajči, who said that “with each passing day, the chance of Handzuš playing for Slovan increases“. (link)
Krajči goes on to reiterate that the option of an NHL team coming in at the eleventh hour to snatch Handzuš remains a possibility, it would be a major coup for Slovan to add a player of Handzuš‘ experience. Furthermore, especially following rumblings of financial difficulties towards the end of last season, a signing of Handzuš‘ calibre would go a long way to generating marketing interest in the team, as well as the necessary ¨bums on seats¨.
The way is perhaps paved somewhat for Handzuš, as Krajči announced to the press that Slovan had released defenceman Tomáš Mojžíš and forward Martin Bakoš (link). Since being signed from HC Lev in 2013, Mojžíš had been a solid contributor for Slovan, adding 13 points from the blueline in his one full season with Slovan. However, Slovan have spent a lot of money upgrading their blueline this summer, adding Ivan Baranka and most recently Tomáš Starosta. One would assume that financial considerations were at the heart of Mojžíš‘ release, especially while Vladimir Mihálík remains on the roster.
With the Miroslav Šatan ship now seemingly sailed into the port of retirement, the importance of Slovan adding Handzuš is not to be underestimated, especially in terms of what he adds off the ice more than anything. On the ice, Slovan kicked off the 2014/15 season in style, as new summer signing and Slovakia national team veteran Ladislav Nagy had a hattrick in his debut for the club. Check out his marvellous second goal below (play develops from 1:50 onwards), where Nagy made former Canadiens second rounder Mathieu Carle look like a beer leaguer with a lovely piece of skill.
If Handzuš is to join Slovan, I can’t imagine he will don the eagle crest for a couple of weeks at least. However, with the team now flying out to Russia for a three game road trip where they will face Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg and Ak Bars Kazan, presumably Krajči and the rest of the backroom staff in Bratislava will have less distraction in order to tempt Handzuš to join the Sky Blues (Belasí).
Last week Velvet Hockey brought you part one of it's 2013/14 Czech Extraliga preview, looking at the teams who (in the author's opinion) will make up the bottom half of the league. A week on, and it is time to turn to the contenders. From the tradition of Sparta Praha to the youthful Hradec Králové franchise, read below for all the summer news and line-up discussion.
HC Sparta Praha – Is this the year?
Last season: 1st
Last season’s top scorer: Petr Ton (40yo, 50GP 35+32 +27)
Last season’s top goaltender: Tomáš Pöpperle (44GP 1.61GAA
93.6%)
Oh Sparta. Another season where they looked invincible in
the regular season, only for it to unravel in the playoffs. It has now been
seven years since they last won the Extraliga title, and the Tipsport Arena
faithful are starting to get restless. Coaches have come and gone, and one must
imagine that Josef Jandáč is on a short leash and the bosses will not be
forgiving if results don’t go their way.
Will Jaroslav Hlinka thrive without Ton?
Photo: Atte Rissanen, CHL
There is a new dawn at Sparta. Gone is long time hero Petr
Ton, Tomáš Rachůnek has moved to Metallurg Novokuznetsk and Tomáš Pöpperle will
no longer tend the Sparta net after he signed with KHL newcomers HK Sochi. Joining
from Slovak champions HC Košice is Rastislav Staňa. The veteran shot stopper
was in inspired form with Košice, posting a 94.4% save percentage in the
playoffs. Staňa has never played in the Czech Extraliga before, but has a
wealth of SHL and KHL experience and will surely be an asset at this level.
Sparta have taken the adage of offence wins games but
defence wins championships, as they have assembled what looks to be the best
defence in the Czech Republic. The signings of Marek Ďaloga, Michal Barinka and
Juraj Mikúš are a sign of shrewd recruitment, and means that it is going to be
very difficult to score goals past Sparta this coming season. Karel Pilář, Jan
Svrček and Jan Piskaček remain from last season’s roster, forming an incredibly
promising top six.
Up front, the task has been to replace the goals lost by the
departure of Petr Ton. Sparta look to be doing this by committee rather than
the signing of one star player. Imports Robert Sabolic and Zack Torquato will
add some welcome scoring touch, while Martin Réway, one of the most hyped
Slovak prospects in recent years, joins Sparta at the tender age of 19 instead
of returning to the QMJHL.
37 year old Jaroslav Hlinka may notice a downturn in his
form with the loss of top line partner Petr Ton, but look for the former
Karlovy Vary pair of Petr Kumstát and Lukáš Pech to add more points than they
did last season. 6‘6‘‘ forward Kumstát tallied 18 goals in 2013/14, edging
closer to the 27 goal career high he posted in 2011/12 with Karlovy Vary, which
made Sparta so adamant to bring him and Pech to the Czech capital. Tomáš
Rolínek will captain the side, the former Metallurg Magnitogorsk forward finally
settling back in the Extraliga, while Jan Buchtele and new signing Lukáš Cingel
will be on task to add further scoring depth. Buchtele scored 35 points in his
first season with Sparta in 2013/14
With a number of top players entering their second seasons
with the club following the rebuild in 2013, I can see Sparta being even more
dominant this season, and with a strengthened back end, it could very easily be
their year.
One to watch: Martin Réway (Forward. Last season – Gatineau Olympiques:
43GP 20+42 +13)
Martin Réway will look to impress with Sparta
Photo: Vaxjo Lakers, CHL
The former Sparta Praha junior has returned ¨home¨ as the
Montreal Canadiens draft pick has put pen to paper to sign with Sparta and get
his first taste of professional hockey. At 19 years of age, Réway still has a
number of years of development ahead, and the raw skill that the Prague born
forward has is off the charts. He may need a few years to truly make the jump
from junior to professional hockey, but his prolific junior career is sign that
Réway is one of the top European prospects at present. 10 points in 5 games at
the World Junior Championships went a long way to earning Réway a call up to
the Slovakia senior team for the senior World Championships, where he scored
three points in seven games. He has made a positive start to his Sparta career,
tallying two assist in the club’s first two Champions Hockey League games.
Predictions:
Position: 1st
Top scorer: Jan Buchtele
MVP: Rastislav Staňa
HC Oceláři Třinec – New arena, same goal
Last season: 2nd
Last season’s top scorer: Martin Růžíčka (28yo, 52GP 26+29
-8)
Last season’s top goaltender: Šimon Hrubec (43GP 2.15GAA
92.5%)
Třinec celebrate winning the Steel Cup.
Photo: Marian Ježowicz, hcocelari.cz
Třinec come from one of the smallest markets in the
Extraliga, but have consistently produced Extraliga contenders for a number of
seasons. A true hockey town, the new Werk Arena was presented to the team this
off-season, and is a brand new facility to replace the crumbling old rink.
It is a new look team for the new rink as well, as it is out
with the old and in with the new. Martin Růžíčka, who broke Ziggy Pálffy’s Extraliga
playoff points record on the way to the 2011 title, leaves after signing a two
year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk. Radek Bonk, Jan Peterek and Václav Varaďa
have called time on their careers, while David Květoň has signed with Mladá
Boleslav.
Goaltending is the only area where there is some stability,
as Třinec will put their faith in Šimon Hrubec, who impressed in his first
season as an out and out starting goaltender. You have the sense that it is
Peter Hamerlík’s last chance to prove himself at the Extraliga level this
season, as the 2011 championship winning goaltender really struggled last
season.
Will the grass be greener on the other side for Žejdl?
Photo: Marian Ježowicz, hcocelari.cz
Třinec have crafted a whole new forward line-up for the
2014/15 season, headlined by the Extraliga return of Zbyněk Irgl. The 33 year
old Czech national team regular has not played in the Extraliga for seven
years, after leaving Vitkovice, and moves to Třinec after scoring 20 points
with Dinamo Minsk last season. Irgl still has plenty of gas in the tank, and
while I think he will be a key part of Třinec’s success next season, fans will
have to be patient as veterans returning to the Extraliga have often needed a
season to become re-accustomed with the league.
Tomáš Plihal signs after a successful spell in Finland,
while Vladimir Dravecký and Kamil Kreps will be looking for some stability in
their careers with Třinec. Dravecký is a player I rate highly, and believe he
should’ve got more of a chance at Slovan than he did. He was over a point per
game with Swiss NLB side Ajoie last season, and he can really contribute up
front. Another major summer signing is Lukáš Žejdl, from Slavia Praha, who I
think is one of the best young forwards in the Extraliga.
Despite all the signings, it could be 32 year old centre Jiří Polanský who is the vital piece of the Třinec puzzle. Two straight seasons of 46 points show that he is truly in the prime of his career, and 5 points in the opening 2 games of the Champions Hockey League season show that the Brno native shows no sign of slowing down.
On the blueline, Rostislav Klesla makes his return to Třinec
calling time on his 654 game NHL career. Klesla looked rather uninspired when
he played for Třinec during the 2012 lockout, so the Steelers, who won the apt-named
Steel Cup in August against Košice and Severstal Cherepovets, will be hoping
for better things from their marquee blueline signing. Klesla will join the
likes of Marek Trončinský, who gained notoriety during pre-season for scoring
this goal during pre-season.
With the addition of Klesla, Třinec have a very
strong defence on paper, and Lukáš Galvas, Tomáš Linhart and young
gun Vladimir Roth all have the experience and quality to deliver
another title to Moravia.
One to watch: Lukáš Žejdl (Forward. Last season – Slavia Praha:
47GP 6+20 +2)
Maybe it’s the Slavia fan in me, but Žejdl, in my opinion, is
a top quality young forward who should be getting first line minutes this
season. After scoring 26 points with Slavia last season, the big bodied
physical forward made the move to the east to play for Třinec, where I think if
given top six time, he’ll top 30 points, although that will change if he is
forced onto the third line by the log jam of forwards.
Predictions:
Position: 2nd
Top scorer: Jiří Polanský
MVP: Jiří Polanský
PSG Zlín – Looking for the illusive repeat
Last season: 3rd (But won the Extraliga playoffs)
Last season’s top scorer: Petr Leška (38yo, 52GP, 6+38 +8)
Last season’s top goaltender: Libor Kašík (24GP 1.88GAA
93.6%)
Pre-season has been kind for Zlin so far
Photo: Jiří Zaňát, hokej.zlin.cz
Ten years after the Moravian club won their first Extraliga
title, PSG Zlín reclaimed the Czech crown in style, mauling Kometa Brno in the
2014 Final. Captain Petr Čajanek lifted the Masaryk Cup to the delight of the
Zimni Stadion Ludka Čajky, and capped what was a majestic year for the team
that plays in blue and yellow.
It is perhaps unsurprising given Zlín’s devotion to
developing home-grown talent, that only a few players have left the club during
the summer months, and most have moved on to better leagues. Antonin Honejsek
has earned himself a contract in Finland, whilst the New York Rangers signed
young defenceman Petr Zámorský, who at 22 years of age, made his World
Championship debut for the Czech Republic this year. Zlín moved quickly,
penning a deal with veteran defenceman Tomáš Žižka. The 34 year old former
NHLer has consistently been one of the top two way defencemen in the Czech
Republic for a number of years. Radim Tešařík, after three seasons with Zlín,
retires from the game on a high after winning his fifth Extraliga title.
Jiří Marušák will therefore anchor the defence, and his
veteran presence will be necessary to help the next generation of Zlín
blueliners. Martin Matějiček, Dalibor Řezníček, Patrik Urbanec and Tomáš
Valenta are all in their early twenties and have the potential to form a true
dynasty of Czech hockey. What makes it all the more special, and what makes
Zlín such a likeable club, is that all of these defencemen are from the Zlín
region and most were products of Zlín’s youth system.
Also a Zlín junior, Libor Kašík was voted the Czech
Extraliga’s best goaltender after posting a 93.6 save percentage in the regular
season, which he almost matched in the playoffs. The 22 year old goaltender,
who had only played a handful of senior games before last season, truly shone
in his first full senior season. Like Plzeň’s Matěj Machovský, Kašík may suffer
a sophomore slump, but the ever reliable Luboš Horčička is arguably the
Extraliga’s best backup goaltender. People thought Zlín would be in trouble
following the departure of Jakub Sedláček to the KHL, but in Kašík, they may
have uncovered an even better goaltender.
Libor Kašík was voted the Extraliga's best goaltender last season
Photo: Pavel Hrabovský, hokej.zlin.cz
Up front, what would a Zlín team be without Petr Leška and
Jaroslav Balaštík. Now 38 and 34 respectively, these two have been the first
names on Zlín’s team sheet for nearly a decade, bar Balaštík’s sabbatical with
Mláda Boleslav. Leška, who continues to top 40 points each season, is the true
face of Zlín hockey, and while the goal scoring touch is starting to leave him,
he is still one of the premier playmakers in the Czech Republic. Petr Čajanek
returns, and last season’s top playoff scorer has finally become the Extraliga
player Zlín needed him to be following his return from the KHL in 2011. Ondřej
Veselý, Petr Holík and Bedřich Köhler provide an ample secondary scoring touch,
while the signing of Roman Vlach, the son of head coach Rostislav Vlach from
Karlovy Vary should easily cover the goals lost by the departure of Honejsek.
All in all, I don’t think Zlín will be able to consistently
win enough games to finish top of the regular season table, but I think they
have an incredibly good chance, come playoff time, to challenge for the repeat.
One to watch: Petr Holík (Forward. Last season: 51GP 7+16
-4)
Now 22 years of age, Holík may be small in stature, but his
high skill level certainly makes up for any deficit in height. The Zlín native
dropped off slightly following his 35 point 2012/13 season, but still tallied
23 points and made his Czech senior debut in the Euro Hockey Tour. If paired
with sharpshooter Roman Vlach, look for Holík to be pushing 30, if not 40
points this season.
Predictions:
Position: 3rd
Top Scorer: Petr Leška
MVP: Petr Leška
HC Pardubice – Charging up the table
Last season: 7th
Last season’s top scorer: Tomáš Nosek (21yo, 52GP, 19+25
+44)
Last season’s top goaltender: Július Hudáček (28GP 2.39GAA
92.3%)
What has gone wrong at Pardubice? The 2012 Extraliga
champions have been simply awful in the last two seasons, and it’s up to head
coach Zdeněk Venera to turn the tide and make Pardubice championship contenders
once again. It has been a rough few seasons for Pardubice in the transfer
market, as the likes of Petr Koukal, both Jan Kolářs and Robert Kousal have all
been snapped up by KHL teams, and it has happened again this offseason. Last
season’s top scorer Tomáš Nosek, still only 21 years of age, has been signed by
the Detroit Red Wings after going undrafted in the last few seasons.
Tomáš Halasz has big skates to fill at Pardubice
Photo: hcpce.cz
Fortunately, Nosek is the only big time player to be leaving
Pardubice, as they have managed to retain a strong core of young forwards now
entering their prime. Lukáš Radil, Tomáš Zohorna and Radoslav Tybor are three
great players to build around, whilst retaining the services of (forward) Jan
Kolář was vital after the 33 year old failed to crack the KHL. Radovan Somík
also remains, now entering his 8th season with Pardubice. Look for Radil to
continue his development into one of the leading scorers in the Extraliga, as
the 24 year old tallied 32 points and earned his Czech Republic national team
debut last season.
Tomáš Marcinko is Pardubice’s big money forward signing,
with the Slovak national team forward, who played at the Olympics, joining the
club to provide a solid two way centre who works hard at both ends of the ice.
Pardubice don’t need Marcinko to be a 30 goal scorer, they simply need him to
be a solid pivot, which Pardubice have somewhat lacked over recent years.
Pardubice will go into the 2014/15 with a brand new tandem
in goal though, as Tomáš Halasz and Slovene national team goaltender Robert
Kristan join from Olomouc and Nitra respectively. Halasz, who helped Olomouc
gain Extraliga promotion last season, has already impressed in a Pardubice
jersey, especially after his miraculous performance in the Champions Hockey
League against Linkoping. Kristan, the
definition of a journeyman joins after a very solid season with Nitra in
Slovakia. This new look tandem should certainly do better than the trio of
Hudáček, Salfický and Martin Růžíčka. The latter, who backstopped Pardubice to
the 2012 title, will look for pastures new following his release after over a
decade with his home-town club.
I think the losses of Jiří Vašiček and Marek Ďaloga will be a big blow to Pardubice’s blueline,
but with Aleš Píša, Václav Kočí, Václav Benák and Blaz Gregorc returning, the
Bohemian side should still be in good hands, and that’s before we even mention
the return of one of Pardubice’s favourite sons, Petr Čáslava. The 34 year old
defenceman has spent the last four seasons in the KHL, and returns after a
pretty poor season captaining Severstal Cherepovets. The mammoth blueliner will
not only be a rock on the blueline but will add some necessary scoring on the
powerplay
Player to watch: Radoslav Tybor (Last season: 44GP 16+8 +11)
Slovak forward Radoslav Tybor. One to watch
Photo: hcpce.cz
At 24 years of age, Radoslav Tybor will enter into his
second full season with Pardubice, and the Slovak forward who earned a spot on
the World Championships team this year will look to improve as he carves out a
niche as one of the Extraliga’s most feared snipers. The Trenčín native brings
speed along with his deadly accurate shot, as Linkoping found out in the CHL. I
think he’ll break 20 goals this season if he stays injury free.
Predictions:
Position: 4th
Top scorer: Lukáš Radil
MVP: Petr Čáslava
HC Kometa Brno – Ensuring stability
Last season: 6th
Last season’s top scorer: Vojtěch Němec (28yo, 50GP, 20+18
+6)
Last season’s top goaltender: Marek Čiliak (36GP 2.14GAA
91.3%)
The team from the Czech second city has come a long way in
the past five years. Replacing Znojmo who sold their Extraliga licence in 2009,
Kometa have been the one team in recent memory which has come up from the
1.liga and truly shown itself to be competitive. Kometa have made it to the
Extraliga final twice in the past three seasons, but have fallen both times at
the final hurdle. It has been agony for some of the most passionate fans in the
Czech Republic, but a sign of how far hockey in Brno has progressed over the
past decade.
Brno's home-town hero in pre-season
Photo: Vladimir Koláček, hc-kometa.cz
Last season saw Kometa lose in the final to Zlín, once again
beating Sparta Praha on their march through the playoffs after finishing in 6th
place. It was a strange season, as while Kometa’s big names really struggled to
find any sort of scoring form, a number of players had their breakout seasons.
Most notably, Vojtěch Němec, who at 28 years of age, had previously only
managed to score 8 points in a season. However, the Češka Lipa native, more
accustomed to spending time in the 1.liga, truly shone scoring 38 points as
well as a further 14 in the playoffs.
Alongside Němec was Vilem Burian, who was also another
1.liga regular before tallying 21 points last season. Up front, Kometa have one
of the deepest forward line-ups on paper, as Tomáš Svoboda and Jan Hruška have
provided ample secondary scoring to the likes of Jakub Svoboda and Hýnek
Zohorna over recent years. Last season was one to forget for the latter two
forwards, as Svoboda only managed 25 games in an injury plagued season, whilst
Zohorna could only muster 13 points last season. If Svoboda and Zohorna can
turn things around, Kometa may be on to a winner, and that is even before we
have discussed Kometa’s two big money summer signings.
Petr Ton crashes to the ice during the Rona Cup
Photo: Vladimir Koláček, hckometa.cz
Firstly, following his bust up with head coach Josef Jandáč,
where the Sparta coach benched his top scorer in Game 7 of the playoff semi-finals,
Petr Ton has added insult to injury by joining Kometa Brno. Ton, who was the
Extraliga’s top scorer after racking up a massive 67 points in 50 games last
season, will fit right in on Kometa’s top line, alongside other new signing
Tomáš Vincour. The native Brňák struggled to match the high expectations placed
on him at Ak Bars Kazan last season, and leaves the KHL to sign for his
hometown team. If he stays for the whole season (he has KHL and NHL out clauses
in his contract), look for Vincour to be top of the scoring charts. Vincour
scored three goals for Kometa as they romped to victory in the Rona Cup in
Slovakia a few weeks ago. The team scored fifteen goals in three games to take
home the famous pre-season tournament. Most recently, a 2-2 draw with Slovan
Bratislava certainly highlights Kometa’s credentials.
Kometa’s forward line-up is as good as any in the Extraliga,
but unfortunately, their defence just does not stack up to the other top
contenders. Tomáš Žižka has moved to Zlín but has been replaced by Františk
Ptáček, and while Jozef Kováčík and Petr Kuboš provide a strong back line, it
just lacks the defensive quality needed to lift the Extraliga title. Another
area where Kometa will falter will be in goal, and not just because they have
Martin Falter. Marek Čiliak was the starter last season, and a 91.3 save
percentage will simply not cut it if Kometa want to raise the Masaryk Trophy.
At 24 years of age, it is a make or break season for the Slovak netminder.
Player to watch: Michal Kempný (Defenceman. Last season:
51GP 7+8 +10)
At 23 years of age, Kempný, in my opinion, is one of the
elite offensive defencemen in the Czech Extraliga. I saw a lot of him during
his loan spell with Slavia in 2012/13, and in all honesty he impressed me more
than Petr Kadlec, and his booming shot is a vital asset on the powerplay. With
the added firepower Kometa have added up front, look for Kempný’s point totals
to increase further.
Predictions:
Position: 5th
Top scorer: Petr Ton
MVP: Tomáš Vincour
HC Škoda Plzeň – The rebuild continues
Last season: 3rd
Last season’s top scorer: Radek Duda (35yo, 47GP 17+24 +6)
Last season’s top goaltender: Matěj Machovský (36GP 1.67GAA
93.6%)
Jozef Balej powers away in pre-season
Photo: Milan Podpera, hcskoda.cz
A couple of teams each year notice a significant drop off in
performance in the Czech Extraliga. Last season, Litvínov fell from 6th to
11th, while Kladno were 7th placed finishes in 2012/13, before being relegated
last season. Plzeň, who were champions in 2013, had a strong season in 2013/14,
finishing in 3rd place with an aging roster. Head coach Milan Razym, who won
the Extraliga in his first season with Plzeň, has a lot of work to do to
prevent what I predict will be a tougher season this time round.
It is definitely a case of out with the old and in with
the...still quite old. Radek Duda, Martin Straka and Tomáš Vlasák have all left
the club in one way or another this summer, with 37 year old defenceman Petr
Kadlec being one of the Plzeň’s major summer acquisitions. Kadlec has over
1,000 games to his credit with Slavia Praha before leaving in June. The signing
of Lukáš Pulpan from Chomutov may also turn out to be a shrewd piece of
business.
In the wake of these losses, Plzeň’s forward line up looks
decidedly weakened. The elder statesmen, Václav Pletka and Ondřej Kratena
remain after positive seasons for both, but at 35 and 37 years of age
respectively, one might assume their performance will start to wane. Pavel
Kašpařík and Tomáš Sýkora are also entering the twilight of their careers, but
may still have one or two good seasons left in them. Additionally, the defence
has taken a blow, as Tomáš Frolo, Tomáš Slovak and Jiří Hanzlík have all left,
leaving Kadlec as the only defenceman over the age of 30.
Plzeň celebrate a victory over Nurnburg in pre-season
Photo: Milan Podpera, hcskoda.cz
Razym has worked to add immediate replacements, bringing
back Nick Johnson who impressed in his first spell with the club, as well as
veteran Slovak forward Jozef Balej, but the bulk of recruitment has been
focused on younger players. Dominík Kubalik and Matěj Beran both join Plzeň
upon completion of their Major Junior careers, whilst the signing of former
Sparta Praha forward Dominík Simon, who scored a beautiful penalty shot at the
2014 World Junior Championships to beat Canada, may turn out to be one of the
signings of the season.
The true wildcard in Plzeň’s lineup will be 21 year old
goaltender Matěj Machovský. The Opava native joined Plzeň after a three year
spell with the Brampton Battalion in the OHL, and in his debut season in the
Extraliga was simply faultless, finishing the season with the Extraliga’s top
save percentage. Machovský backed up Patrik Bartošák at the 2013 World Juniors
in Ufa, but took to the Extraliga like a duck to water. I think Machovský will
struggle to replicate his numbers from 2013/14, and with Lukáš Mensator as his
backup, any poor form will have direct consequences on the team’s result.
One to watch: Dominík Simon (Forward. Last season – Sparta
Praha: 47GP 7+4 +5)
Simon is one of a number of young, exciting Czech forwards who
have somewhat gone under the radar but look set to have great European careers.
The 20-year old Prague native, a product of the Sparta system, has represented
the Czech Republic at every youth level, and was the second top scorer for the
Czech Republic at the 2014 World Juniors with 4 points in 5 games. Most
notably, he scored this to beat Canada at the 2014 World Junior Championships
Watch for Simon to be one of the breakout stars in the
Extraliga this season if he can get quickly accustomed to Milan Razym’s system.
Predictions:
Position: 6th
Top scorer: Vacláv Pletka
MVP: Matěj Machovský
HK Hradec Králové – Sophomore Slump
Last season: 5th
Last season’s top point scorer: Jiří Šimánek (35yo, 47GP
25+17 +19)
Last seaon’s top goaltender: Pavel Kantor (45GP 1.80GAA
92.4%)
Rastislav Dej made the move from Karlovy Vary last summer
Photo: Stanislav Souček, hkmountfield.cz
The MOUNTFIELD franchise upped sticks in summer last year,
moving their franchise from Češke Budějovice to Hradec Králové in the wake of
financial issues. While it left a void of hockey in CB, which thankfully was
replaced by the Motor franchise, for HK it was a great move for a city which
has been looking for top level hockey for a number of years. Last season’s
fifth placed finish was a remarkable achievement, helped by an incredible
defensive effort which saw the side have the second best defensive record in
the Extraliga last season. A quarter-final loss against eventual champions PSG
Zlín was unfortunate, with Zlín winning three of these games in overtime. In
fact, HK went to overtime 17 times in the regular season alone in 2013/14.
Captain Jiří Šimánek was the symbol of HC MOUNTFIELD’s
resurgence last season, and showed what a fresh start can do, as the 35 year old veteran
centre scored 42 points and earned himself a spot back in the Czech Republic
national team after an absence of three years. Jaroslav Kudrna also turned back
the years last season, scoring 34 points in just 35 games after a disappointing
year in Liberec last season. Both Šimánek and Kudrna return and are joined by
new summer signings Dávid Skokan and Roman Kukumberg. Skokan impressed last
season for Slavia, scoring 18 points and being a reliable two way player, and
Kukumberg joins HK after a three year spell with Slovan Bratislava, two of
those being in the KHL. However, behind these four and Tomáš Mertl, I think HK
are a little light up front. Rastislav Dej is a solid two way player, but is
never going to be troubling the top points scorers.
Slovak NT regular René Vydarený impressed last season
Photo: Stanislav Souček, mountfieldhk.cz
Therefore, it is integral that HK continue playing their
defensive brand of hockey instilled by coach Peter Draisatl, father of 2014 NHL
Draft first rounder Leon. The Slovak trio of Peter Frühauf, Peter Mikuš and
René Vydarený were in top form last season, providing a solid backbone to which
protect Pavel Kantor. The 23-year old was tasked with replacing Jakub Kovář in
the CB net, but looked out of his depth in 2012/13. However, with a solid
defence in front of him, Kantor looked every bit the Extraliga starter many
predicted him to be from his days in the Češke Budějovice system. HK have also
made strides to make their defence even better. Tomáš Slovak joins from Plzeň,
along with Jiří Vašíček, who in my opinion is one of the premier two way
defencemen in the country. Completing HK’s top six is Bohumil Jank, one of the
best young Czech defencemen.
With only two wins out of five in pre-season, I think that
on paper Hradec Králové have strengthened, but I can see them just falling
short of last year’s standards. I think they lack depth up front, and are relying
on players who perhaps overachieved last year. They will still make the
playoffs, but will have to go through the play-ins
One to watch: Bohumil Jank (Defenceman. Last season: 24GP
1+2 +1)
Jank is not one to watch in terms of excitement, as the 22
year old blueliner plays a no-nonsense defensive brand of hockey. However the
Milevsko native brought through the CB system has represented his country at
every junior age level and his great performances last season were rewarded with
his senior team debut in the Euro Hockey Tour. Standing at 6’2’’, Jank is the
sort of defenceman that teams win with, and he is only going to get better.
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