yesterday 11:17
|
The iClinic Bratislava Capitals hockey club is also entering the new season of the international ICE Hockey League with the aim of getting into the playoffs. The staff has changed significantly compared to the previous year, it was created during the preparation and according to the vice-president and general director of the club Dušan Pašek, it has its quality and character.
Capitals entered the IHL last year and got into the playoffs in the first season, where they finished in the quarterfinals after losing to later vice-champion HC Bolzano Foxes 1: 4 in matches. Even now, their goal is to make it to the elimination phase of the competition. In the new year, however, they will have a more challenging role as the number of participants has increased from 11 to 14.
“We are very happy to be able to start the next season of the IHL. In the first we succeeded when we got to the playoffs, which was our goal. It is a quality league, full of quality teams and players and it will be challenging again. We believe however, we will be able to re-participate in the playoffs, which is again our goal, ” Pašek said at a press conference before Friday’s opening match with the Italian HC Val Pusteria Wolves team (7.15 pm).
The Bratislava club played six matches in preparation, in which it scored three wins and three losses. “We managed the preparation successfully and I believe that the team has both quality and character. We will need to play team in the league and show our hearts, because we have one of the smallest budgets in the competition. But I am convinced that we did everything within it. in order for the team to have both quality and character. I believe that we will perform attractive hockey and the spectators will leave our matches satisfied. ” Pasek continued.
WHAT HAS THE STARNAME STRENGTHENED WITH A STAR NAME?
Photo gallery
Nikolai Zherdev
Source: TASR
–
The staff underwent several changes compared to the previous season. The group of the twenty-eight-member team consists of Slovak players, of whom there are 17. They are complemented by six Canadians, two Americans, one Swede, a Norwegian and a Russian.
“Everyone is healthy, only striker David Levin has minor problems, but it’s nothing long-term. We are 100 percent satisfied with the preparation, we played it in good style and the players showed us everything we needed. However, the league will jump into the cold water, no one knows exactly where it is, and neither do we.
Tomorrow we have the first match, we will see how it goes and we will develop from that. We are a young organization, in development, in the new league for the second year. We know we’re not in a position to shout about titles. What we have left is to build a good team, which I think we managed with Dušan. We’ll see what it takes. In the first season, we looked at the playoffs and we want that now, ” said head coach Peter Draisaitl.
The captain of the team Dávid Buc said that all players are already looking forward to the first match: “The cabin has been buried since the beginning of the preparation, last year the players came during the season. Now the game came together, we survived the difficult trainings together and it brings us together. The mood before the first match is good and we can’t wait.”
One of the reinforcements is the Russian striker Nikolai Zherdev. He was a four-time NHL draft pick in 2003 when he was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He also wore New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL and played a total of 436 games in which he scored 264 Canadian points (116 + 148).
After leaving overseas, his career took place in the KHL, in which he played 408 matches with a gain of 232 points. He started at two World Championships (2009, 2012) and in both cases won the title of world champion. “He’s a very humble guy for the leagues he played in. He trains hard every day and shows the guys that professionalism,” dodal Buc.
CLUB FOR ALL SLOVAKS
Photo gallery
Bratislava Capitals
Source: iclinic-capitals.sk
–
Viewers will be able to watch the home matches of the Capitals on the new JOJ Šport channel. “I am very glad that we managed to conclude a cooperation with JOJ Šport, which will broadcast our home matches and we will be able to present our product to the whole of Slovakia. The negotiations took quite a long time, but good things are not born easily.” said Pasek.
He believes that as many people as possible will find their way to the stadium: “We will be very happy when they come and see quality hockey. We want to profile ourselves as a club for all Slovaks. We are Bratislava Capitals, but we do not compete with any Slovak club. Therefore, we want to be a representative of the whole Slovakia.” As last year, the club prepares various competitions and accompanying events during the matches.
List:
Goalkeepers: Connor LaCouvee (CAN), Patrik Lietava, Samuel Baroš
Defenders: Brett Carson (CAN), Erik Rajnoha, Luc Snuggerud (USA), Martin Chovan, Oliver Fatul, Samuel Jardine (CAN), Samuel Fereta, Tyler Nanne (USA), Vojtech Zeleňák
Attackers: Boris Sádecký, Dávid Bondra, Dávid Buc (C), David Levin (Izr./Kan.), Denis Hudec, Jamie Arniel (CAN), Marc-Olivier Roy (CAN), Michal Mrázik, Nikolai Žerdev (RUS) , Roman Faith, Thomas Valkvae Olsen (NOR), Tor Immo (Sweden), Lukáš Škvarek, Vladimír Vybíral, Sebastián Žurek, Martin Lachkovič
—
