Apart from freshly crowned Champions Hockey League victors Tappara Tampere from Finland, Czech Extraliga side Dynamo Pardubice became the first team to qualify for the upcoming 2023/24 season late last week.
Following a huge rise in form, the club from Eastern Bohemia that narrowly avoided relegation as recently as 2019, have finished top of the Czech Extraliga regular season to qualify for the CHL for the first time in seven years.
Following the news, Pardubice team captain Patrik Poulíček spoke to the club’s official web page, saying: “It means a lot for us. We will play some top-quality games and face the best teams in Europe.”
"Some Finnish, Swedish or Swiss teams would be interesting"Patrik Poulíček, Dynamo Pardubice
Pardubice played in the CHL three times between 2014 and 2017 and Poulíček was with the club when they last qualified.
“I was one of the younger players on the team back then,” remembered Poulíček, who will now lead his team out onto ice rinks across Europe with a C on his chest, “I’m really excited to play in the Champions Hockey League again, I hope we succeed,” he added.
The 2022/23 season, which saw Finnish side Tappara Tampere clinch the European Trophy for the very first time, only ended a day before Pardubice’s qualification. Czechia are still waiting for their first representative to win the pan-European competition, but Sparta Prague and Mountfield HK both made it all the way to the Final in 2017 and 2020 respectively.
“There aren’t really any specific teams I would like to face," thought Poulíček, "but some Finnish, Swedish or Swiss teams would be interesting!” ended the 29-year-old.