“We are facing some forced changes to which we must respond. We wish Aleš Stezka NHL all the best and I would like to thank him for everyone in Vítkovice and wish him luck overseas,” said Vítkovice sports director Roman Šimíček and announced two more names that will surely leave Vítkovice.
“With the departure of Patrik Koch to Třinec, nothing much could be done. Tobias Lindberg also ends. We have found some adequate replacements, but we still have two or three places that we want to fill. And it’s not just an addition to the number, we’re looking for top players,” Šimíček said.
The key will be to find a goalkeeping support that would complement Lukáš Klimeš. Matěj Machovský, a native of Opava, who catches the final in the Hradec Králové jersey, is offered, but he does not have an engagement for the next season. “Something is going on, but we’ll see how it turns out. We have already signed two new players, but we will come out with that in a few days,” outlined Šimíček.
There is also talk of the arrival of Olomouc’s Jan Káni. “Whoever watches hockey puts one and one together and sees that we will need a top center next to Peter Krieger in order to have two quality centers. I have to say that now towards the end of the season some interesting names have appeared, so we are working on it. But we’ll see. For us, quality is not the only criterion, it should be about players whose character will fit into the team,” he added.
The Vítkovice manager acknowledged with pleasure that interest in Vítkovice on the part of the players is growing. And the successful season, which ended in a semi-final defeat by Hradec Králové, is to blame. “It’s a difference from how we built the team three years ago and how we’re building it now. Many players perceive that Vítkovice is a strong club, they can create a professional environment and they have ambitions. There is more interest in Vítkovice among the players, and that makes me very happy,” pointed out Šimíček.
Vítkovice will be in fourth place in the final table. “There was a small step missing from the final. It just happened that way. But again, it’s another motivation for us for the future season,” said Šimíček.
“Before the season, we announced the goal that we would like to reach the semi-finals of the playoffs. And I am very happy that it worked out. Although there is a little sadness,” revealed the Vítkovice manager.
