“The current free agent market is very limited, which is why we are happy to sign this experienced goalkeeper. Eetu is very much looking forward to the engagement in Hradec Králové and should join our team on Tuesday. I firmly believe that we have resolved the situation with the goalkeepers for the rest of this season and we can only focus on sport and our performances,” said Mountfield general manager Aleš Kmoníček for the club’s website.
Laurikainen grew up playing hockey in Jyväskylä, he went overseas at the age of 20, but the highest he reached was the “farm” AHL. In recent years, he has regularly played in the Finnish top flight, in 2019 he even made a start for the Suomi national team against the Czech Republic. Last season he also tasted the Swiss league, in the current one he played for two clubs in Finland, but he was not satisfied with the space, so he took advantage of the offer from Hradec.
UPGRADES. Július Hudáček was in contact with Hradec Králové, but they have not yet agreed on a contract. I know that another Czech club was interested. So let’s wait for the whole situation to see how it turns out. https://t.co/KBn8Tw1Ugn
— Tomáš Prokop (@Lewysko) December 1, 2023
He was quickly looking for a replacement for Patrik Bartošák, with whom he terminated his contract last week. Bartošák repeatedly did not go to training sessions and thus violated his player obligations. Subsequently, the Mountfield hockey management discussed the arrival of Slovakian Júlio Hudáček, but according to Slovak journalist Tomáš Prokop, they did not agree on a contract.
