Ahead of the start of the upcoming Champions Hockey League season, we asked the Head Coaches of HC Košice's six Regular Season opponents what their thoughts are on the Slovak team - here's what they had to say!
Genève-Servette Head Coach Jan Cadieux: “Košice had a perfect season, like us; they won the regular season and the playoffs. They are a club that have enjoyed a great deal of success over the last 20 years and they can count on a team made up of excellent players.”
Skellefteå AIK Head Coach Robert Ohlsson: “The Slovak champions will be a challenge to take on.”
Adler Mannheim Head Coach Johan Lundskog: “Košice are the Slovak champions and a proud hockey club. It’s going to be a great and exciting challenge for us to play against them.”
EHC Biel-Bienne Head Coach Petri Matikainen: “Košice are a very traditional team in Slovak hockey. The club were founded in 1962 and have produced many great players over the years. They are coached by Dan Ceman who has also coached in Austria. Košice have a good mix of imports and their own national league players in their line-up. They won the Slovak Extraliga in 2022/23, proving they are a very complete hockey team and no one should underestimate them. Their Sports Manager, Gabriel Spilar, played for my team the Espoo Blues in 2009/10.”
Red Bull Munich Head Coach Toni Söderholm: “I played against Košice in 2015 when I was still a player of Red Bull Munich. It will be an interesting game when the Slovak champions meet the German champions.”
Rapperswil-Jona Lakers Stefan Hedlund: “HC Košice are the Slovak champions. They have a Canadian coach and they play a Canadian style of hockey with hard forechecking and a typical north-south style of play.”
Find our more about HC Košice in the video below!