“Hockey Changes on the Horizon: The Steelers’ Roster for the Upcoming Season”

Hockey life is one unstoppable carousel. While the players on the ice receive the Masaryk Cup for the newly crowned Tipsport Extraliga champions, the game with contracts for the next seasons continues boldly. This summer, the Steelers’ roster will also undergo several changes. What will the team look like in the end as they try to make a run for a fifth straight title?

The departure of the best players is a heavy toll for any success. Jan Peterek, the sports director of the extra-league champions, has been repeating this sentence for several years in a row. In the past, the Steelers had to say goodbye to, for example, the best scorer of the extra league Matěj Stránský or the national team goalkeeper Šimon Hrubec.

Třinec can expect similar losses this year as well. It is already practically clear that this year’s best scorer in the regular season, Marko Daňo, will go abroad. According to speculation, it looks like he could play in the Swedish top flight. Defender Martin Marinčin should be heading to Switzerland for a change.

Information has also already leaked to the public that at least one other long-time regular will be saying goodbye to the Steelers. Defensive pillar Milan Doudera is leaving for České Budějovice, while Tomáš Marcinko will wear the Kometa Brno jersey next season due to family reasons.

Lukáš Kaňák should also be leaving for Brno, but also Erik Hrni for Olomouc. Hrňa has spent practically his entire career in Třinec, with the exception of one loan spell in the 2014/2015 season in Olomouc.

The captain stays, what about the reinforcements?

There has been a lot of speculation in recent days about the departure of captain Petr Vrány to Olomouc. However, the Sporting Director of Ocelarů Peterek admitted in a recent TV interview that they had agreed to continue their cooperation with the experienced striker.

The question is how it will be with the eventual departure of other matadors. The duo Aron Chmielewski and Vladimír Dravecký have already made their mark in Třinec. There was also speculation about their end in the stands of the WERK Arena during this year’s playoffs, but we will have to wait for the final verdict.

The Steelers are not one of the teams on the extraleague map that would be in a hurry to publish arrivals and departures. Last year, they were the last to officially announce their reinforcements. Given how long their season lasted, a similar scenario can be expected this year.

Reliable substitutes

The goal for the hockey manager, who will lose several elite hockey players during the summer, is clear. Bring adequate replacements to the team for outgoing players. This is a discipline that the Steelers have been doing well in recent years. And it looks like she might succeed this time as well.

The only place where you will needlessly look for changes after this year’s successful season is the goal area. Both Marek Mazanec and Ondřej Kacetl will continue to work under Javorová. Speculation about the return of Václav Varadi was heard here and there in the corridors.

According to iSport, Tomáš Kundrátek, who left Třinec for a more lucrative contract a year ago, could return to the defense. However, Kometa’s owner Libor Zábranský allegedly lost interest in the experienced defender, Kundrátek has built up very good relationships in Třinec.

The main reason should be primarily finances, Kundrátek costs Komet a large part of the player’s salary budget. He should thus become part of the transfer of Marcink, who will surely go in the opposite direction.

However, the Steelers are eyeing more big comebacks. The negotiations should include the arrival of Martin Gernát, who, however, is still trying to negotiate a new contract in Switzerland. The arrival of Richard Panik looks promising.

There is even speculation about the big return of the shooter Matěj Stránský. However, this is not information from any confirmed source at the moment, this transfer is still pure speculation. He still has a contract in Davos for next year, however, according to his words, he would certainly not be opposed to returning to Třinec in the future.

The arrival of Patrik Koch from Vítkovice is said to be quite likely to be canceled by Arizona, which is interested in the Slovak full-back. Defender Richard Nedomlel, who worked in Liberec last season, should also be in the spotlight.

EXCREMENT

Milan Doudera > Engine B&W*
Tomáš Marcinko > Kometa Brno*
Jan Jaroměřský > GKS Tychy*
Marko Daňo > Sweden
Martin Marinčin > Switzerland
Lukáš Kaňák > Comet Brno
Erik Hrňa > HC Olomouc

ARRIVALS

Tomáš Kundrátek (Comet)
Richard Nedomlel (Liberec)
Gernát Martin (Lausanne)
Matej Stránský (Davos)
Patrik Koch (Vítkovice)
Richard Panik (Lausanne)
Viliam Čacho (Trenčín)

*confirmed (the rest is just speculation for now)

Source: Tipsport Extraliga, iSport