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.
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| 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)
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| Martin Réway will look to impress with Sparta Photo: Vaxjo Lakers, CHL |
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%)
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| 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.
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| 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%)
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| 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.
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| 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)
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.
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| 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)
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| Slovak forward Radoslav Tybor. One to watch Photo: hcpce.cz |
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.
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| 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.
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| 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%)
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| 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.
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| 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%)
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| 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.
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| 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.
Predictions:
Position: 7th
Top scorer: Jiří Šimánek
MVP: René Vydarený
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