It’s safe to say that Mountfield HK’s journey through the Champions Hockey League hasn’t been as plain sailing as Frölunda’s in recent seasons.
During their debut season in 2017/18, the side from Hradec Kralové were beaten home and away by the Nottingham Panthers from the United Kingdom; and a season later they went down in Rouen, France – both campaigns saw them fall out in the Group Stage. This season they also lost in Cardiff, but went on to win eight of their 12 games on the path to the final.
However, despite those setbacks, the team qualified themselves back into the CHL with strong performances in the Czech Extraliga. The team were knocked out in the Semi-Final stage of the Playoffs in both 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, before exiting in the Quarters last time around. Indeed, their Extraliga form has been one of the more consistent over recent years: since the top flight of Czech hockey came to Hradec Králové, Mountfield HK have never finished outside the league's top five, and for the past four seasons they've not been beneath fourth at the end of the season.
Cult captain Jaroslav Bednář, who spent time in the NHL, KHL, Liiga and Swiss top-flight retired from the team in 2018 and is the club’s Sport Manager – though he also still laces up in the Czech third tier! Another legend is behind the bench – Head Coach Tomáš Martinec coached at every level from U16’s in the city before taking on the top job in 2018 and has also been part of the coaching setup with the country’s U18 national team.
Martinec was joined during this season in the Head Coach role by Vladimír Růžička. The former Slavia Prague Head Coach led that team to a pair of Extraliga titles, and the national team to two World Championship gold medals in 2005 and 2010 respectively. Known for a defensive style of hockey, his influence can be seen in Mountfield’s impressive CHL playoff record – three shutouts, and only three goals against in six games!
Star players of this season’s team include goalie Marek Mazanec who was shortlisted in the first round of voting for the LGT MVP Award, while 33-year-old captain Radek Smoleňák has actually played in Sweden with time at Timrå and MODO. Wearing an ‘A’ is 30-year-old forward Rudolf Červený who is in his second spell with the team after a season with time in the KHL and SHL outfit Brynäs; while 27-year-old defenseman Petr Zámorský is another who has SHL experience in three seasons for Örebro.