What feelings are you coming to Olomouc with this year?
I’m glad to be here again. New guardrails at the stadium, still, although the staff has changed a bit, a bunch of great guys.
You will also meet Lukáš Klimek and Lukáš Nahodil, with whom you did well in the same formation in your previous engagement in Olomouc. Back then you collected 28 points in 39 games…
They got old. You can tell by them. Still good (laughs). However, we will see only during the extra league. Now it’s hard to say whether or not we will play together again.
What do you expect from working on Hané? In the last two seasons, you struggled a lot mainly because of health ailments. In the last one, did you start only thirteen duels?
I have a great taste. But above all, I have to knock to keep him healthy. This is crucial. Then I want to get better athletically and enjoy hockey more.
What were your problems?
From the beginning, they didn’t know what was wrong with me. I kept training or taking antibiotics and playing with it until the body said no. It was up, down. Then in January I got an omikron, and it didn’t work at all. I was totally exhausted, at rock bottom. The doctors therefore decided that I would be completely at rest for three months. I was completely motionless, just short walks. And that helped me. I then prepared with fitness coach Michal Břetenář, who knew what to do with me and got me out of it. I am completely fine now, I have no problems, but I still have to treat it with respect.
There is a lot of talk about David Krejčí. It looks like he will not continue in Olomouc, although according to the club management, it is not definitive. All his teammates sang odes to him, praising each other what a fighter he is. Surely you would like to play with him too, wouldn’t you?
Maybe the days are not over yet. Even if he signs elsewhere now, it’s not written anywhere that he won’t be back here yet. Of course, I would like to meet him in the same cabin and on the ice as a teammate. So far I have only had the honor of standing against him. And it was amazing to watch how he behaves on the field, how he handles situations. His time in the Extra League was a great experience for most of the boys.
Have you already talked to your teammates, what would you like to play, where to be in the extra league this year?
I don’t like pre-season forecasts to avoid exaggerating things. On the other hand, we must not underestimate ourselves. Especially if the first few matches don’t go well. If something like this were to happen, we would have to say something about it and learn from it. With a positive, but at the same time, humble mindset, we can be successful.
