Ahead of the start of the upcoming Champions Hockey League season, we asked the Head Coaches of Mountfield HK's six Regular Season opponents what their thoughts are on the Czech team - here's what they had to say!
Odense Bulldogs Head Coach Jason O’leary: “These guys are going to be hungry after a somewhat disappointing season last year. They’re historically one of the strongest teams in the Extraliga and will no doubt be motivated to have great success in the CHL this year.”
Brynäs IF Head Coach Niklas Gällstedt: “A hard-working Czech team that blends skill with strength. Brynäs are eager to test themselves against their structured and disciplined style of play.”
SC Bern Head Coach Jussi Tapola: “I’ve never played against them before, so I’ll need to be very active in coaching. Czech hockey has been improving steadily — they’ve done a great job rebuilding and strengthening their game. You can already see it in their national team: they play solid, battle-strong hockey, though their style is quite different from Luleå. They have physically big players, but their style isn’t as intense as Luleå or other Swedish teams. Still, they’re incredibly good at creating scoring chances out of nowhere.”
HC Bolzano Head Coach Kurt Kleinendorst: “Mountfield are a tough team, and we’ll respect them like we do every opponent — but they’ll have to face the best version of us. That’s what I want from my guys and doing it in our Sparkasse Arena should give us that extra push.”
KalPa Kuopio Head Coach Sami Tervonen: “Czech top-flight hockey seems to rise in standard year after year and Mountfield’s Top 4 finish shows they enjoyed an outstanding season in a tough league. My past encounters with Czech teams remind me that the physical battle will be intense.”
Lausanne HC Head Coach Geoff Ward: “Mountfield HK are an extremely well-structured team, with remarkable defensive discipline and a goaltender, Skorvanek, who can single-handedly steal a game”.