Two of the best leaders in European Hockey will captain their sides into the Champions Hockey League Final this season; both with a wealth of experience from top leagues.
Born on 27 January 1986 in Whitby, Ontario, Liam Reddox established himself in the Ontario Hockey League with the Peterborough Petes, where he was top scorer in his first two seasons and ultimately attracted attention from the very top.
In 2004, the Canadian forward was a fourth round, 112th overall selection of the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play 100 games for the team in what proved to be an unsettled start, involving dividing his seasons between Edmonton and their former AHL affiliates, the Springfield Falcons as well as the Oklahoma City Barons in his final season. After securing his place in the Oilers team, Reddox’s switch to Sweden came as a surprise despite previous rumours of an interest to play in Europe.
Växjö had been newly promoted to Sweden’s top flight when Reddox joined, and he would go on to score their first ever goal in the league. Three seasons later he recorded his highest points total in the 2014/15 season, tallying up 31 points in 55 games, where the Lakers went on to become national champions. Two seasons later, in his second season as captain, Reddox went on to finish top of the league as the Lakers recorded 99 points. Now, in his seventh season with the club, he will be completing a career first when he leads his team out onto the ice for the Champions Hockey League Final.
Lining up on the other side of the ice for JYP will be Captain Juha-Pekka Hytönen, who was born on 22 May 1981 in Jyväskylä. The Finnish centre began playing for his home team in what proved to be an illustrious international start to his career. Representing his country and winning the U18 World Championship in 1999 proved to be a stepping-stone for the young player. He went on to represent his country at the U20 level in 2000, where he also made his first appearance in Finland’s top division, the then SM-Liiga. During that season he played three games for Diskos in Metris, the second division, which is where he would return two years later. The next time proved more successful, as he won the championship with Jukurit before returning to his hometown team the following season.
This proved to be his longest spell with JYP Jyväskylä, spanning over nine seasons between 2003 and 2012, including in 2006 when he was made captain. Hytönen won the league twice during this period, first in 2009 where he finished as top point scorer, and again in 2012. The next four seasons were spent in the KHL and Swiss NLA, where he helped Lausanne HC qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their history. In total, Hytönen has played a club record 675 games for JYP; the experience of which could prove vital on such a big occasion.