The Aalborg Pirates had a dream start in the Champions Hockey League, picking up three points from their opening two matches on the road, and causing some shockwaves after those performances in Zurich and Vienna.
While some may have under-estimated the Danish champions, their roster contains a sizable number of players with experience from around Europe, such as captain Julian Jakobsen who played in the very first CHL season with Hamburg Freezers.
To begin, did the Pirates players maybe even surprise themselves with those opening weekend results? "Yeah, maybe a little bit! I don't think we realised how big it was at the time, especially against ZSC Lions. On paper they were supposed to beat us, but I think we really showed that with speed it doesn't matter what league you're in, you can compete with most teams," explained the Pirates' captain. "With Vienna I'd looked at their roster and if we wanted to have points this year I had the feeling it would be against them, but going down there and winning in overtime I didn't expect at all."
"I see the game fairly well, and I try to give back to the younger guys how to read and think about the game."Julian Jakobsen (Captain, Aalborg Pirates)
Speed was something that the Danish side used to their advantage in the opening group stage games, but it wasn't all down to that. "Other than speed I think we have really good players," explained the 31-year-old. "We have several players that have been with the Danish national team in the Elite Group, really good imports, too, so we have a lot of good stuff in this team that we can rely on against some of the best teams in Europe."
Jakobsen played in the CHL for Hamburg Freezers, and still has fond memories of playing in Germany. "There they just have great hockey clubs all over," he recalled. "Hamburg was unbelievable, a great city (close to Denmark too!) and a great setup just like we saw in Zurich. And the league was a really good playing level, too."
Now back in Denmark, what's the biggest difference? "It's more or less the hockey IQ, which is lacking in the Danish league. The mindset, the way you see the game, those are the biggest differences between those bigger teams and us," explained the forward who also played in Sweden. "I think mostly what I bring from playing abroad is my experience. I do believe I see the game fairly well and try to give back to the young Danish guys - how to read the game, and think about it. We have a lot of skill and speed, but the younger guys need to learn to use it in the correct way, and then a lot of them will go far and play in bigger teams."
After the opening weekend success, the Pirates lost at home heavily to Vienna and then pushed ZSC Lions to the very end before losing by a goal. What about the final two games against Frölunda? "Obviously you always go for the win and you have to play with confidence, but we have to continue being humble. The other teams know now they're not playing some random team out in the woods, and we expected them to come harder."