StamkosFan

Pat Svoboda spoke to the media about Riga’s season. “Riga is doing ok; 21 points in 21 games could be better, but at least we are fighting and not out of the playoff race. It’s early, we are not even a third of the way through the year so I am relatively optimistic that we can bounce back and turn things around. I want to have a great year and contribute night in and night out. I worked really hard too and had a blazing start the first ten or so games. Unfortunately I’ve cooled off a bit over these last few games. I’m not sure I’ll ever hit 70 points again but I’m just trying to be effective. I basically have half of the hits I had last year so at least I’m bringing a physical edge to my game and doing what I can every shift. Who knows, maybe at some point I’ll go on another hot streak. The goal is just to at least best my numbers from last season and maybe put myself back on the map as a VHL sniper. Riga is counting on me so I can’t let them down; every point counts,” said Pat Svoboda.

SBA +6

Forwards Marcel Mezei Francois Lalime Goalie Jan Vaic

Malmo 4-1

56 Helsinki Titans 57 Toronto Legion 58 Malmo Nighthawks 59 New York Americans

1. How do you feel about the offseason moves the Reign made? 2. Who is your favorite teammate? 3. What’s the best part about playing for Riga? 4. What will it take to win a cup? 5. What team do you see as the biggest competition for the cup? 6. What do you think has been the key to your player’s personal success? 6. What team in the VHL do you think has the best branding? 7. What do you see the future of the league being as it grows? 8. Do you think it’s good or bad for the players that teams are starting to run 3 full forward lines? 9. Should the VHLM have a higher cap? 10. What do you want McWolf to be remembered for after his career is over?

Pat Svoboda seems back to his old self as the season kicks off, appearing in vintage form for the Riga Reign. In 7 games so far, he has put up 5 goals and seems back to his sniper status; all 5 of those goals have come in the last 5 games. “It’s great to be on a hot streak and have my confidence back. I feel like I’ve just played great hockey these first few games and I hope that I can keep up the pace. I have a high pedigree as a former fifth overall pick, and I need to start living up to it if I don’t want to be labeled a bust; I’m about halfway through my career so I have to get things going now. Riga has put me in a position to succeed, and I knew I could do it after playing better in the playoffs last year. This is my third team of my career, but as they say, third time is a charm and I’m happy about where I ended up. Getting to stick with Dahlberg was important too, it all just worked out really well and it feels right,” said Pat Svoboda.

SBA PT +6

1. What are you looking forward to next season? 2. Which are you more focused on, skating or scoring? 3. Where do you see yourself in three seasons? 4. Which NHL player would you compare yourself to? 5. How important is it to you to win? 6. What sort of discord locker room do you like to have? 7. What's the biggest weakness in your game right now? 8. How interested are you in participating in the world cup (international hockey)? 9. How quickly are you planning to earn? 10. What's the toughest part about just starting out as a player?

SBA +6

@ontanis

no ur a bust

1. What would you say to convince a team who was interested in drafting you? 2. What are you planning to do to stand out from the other eligible draftees? 3. How have you enjoyed your first few days in the VHL? 4. What do you think is your biggest strength as a player? 5. What made you decide to pick the same name that you used for your old character in SHL? 6. Are you interested in participating in the World Cup (international hockey)? 7. How do you see yourself performing in the VHLM? 8. What are your goals for your rookie season? 9. Do you foresee yourself having a long career? 10. What's the most important thing for a team you play for to have/offer you?

Pat Svoboda was traded from the HC Davos Dynamo to the Riga Reign in a blockbuster along with friend, draft class buddy, and teammate Elias Dahlberg. The Swedish right wing was reportedly unhappy with the cut in his ice time during the previous season, and is looking forward to being a major piece for Riga. "I am very pumped to be joining Riga, I think it can be a perfect fit for both of us. I didn't do so well the last season, but I think having that belief and faith from the Riga coaching staff will help me turn things around. When I got some extra time in the playoffs, I went on a tear, and I think I can carry that over to the next season. Having a taste of the playoffs now, I'm a lot hungrier and I'll be out for blood this year. My play style has evolved a lot since I first joined the league, and I think I'm exactly what the doctor ordered for the Reign. And then on top of that, I was able to stay with my best friend in the VHL, who is just a really awesome and active player. Dahlberg and I play great together, so I'm very happy we didn't have to be separated," said Svoboda.

SBA +6

1. What do you think NY needs to do to improve this offseason? 2. How do you think you can get better as a player? 3. Which team do you think has the best chance of beating Helsinki? 4. What do you think of the upcoming draft class? 5. What would it mean to you to win a Cup? 6. If you could change one thing about your VHL career, what would it be? 7. What do you view as the key to playoff success? 8. How do you feel about the recent growth of the VHL? 9. Who is your favorite teammate in NY? 10. What is the best part about NY?

Media Spot +6 VHL.com article +1 Extra +1 for doing both TOTAL CLAIM: +8 Uncapped

As HC Davos Dynamo's round 1 success has been celebrated in the VHL media and by their fans, Pat Svoboda's postseason re-emergence has gone somewhat under the radar. The Swedish right wing struggled during the regular season, but has tallied 5 goals and 3 assists in 8 games in the playoffs. "I guess I just saved all my goal scoring for the playoffs, and actually, that's when it matters, that's when you need to score. I got things clicking a bit for me finally at the end of the regular season, but then I really hit my stride in the playoffs and the rest is history. I think the coaches have noticed the difference, because they've given me extra ice time and I've capitalized on it. I'm known to be a bit of a streaky player, but now's the perfect time to get hot and start lighting the lamp. I knew I had the skills and the grade A shot to perform at any level of competition, but I just needed to start getting results to prove it. And now I have, and I'm quite satisfied with the way things have gone for me personally and for the team," said Pat Svoboda.

After a long-standing playoff drought, the HC Davos Dynamo found it within themselves to overcome the stigma of their past and advance to round 2. But not only did they advance; they advanced in commanding fashion, dominating a long-time top contender in the Riga Reign. Davos came away with a 4-0 sweep, but in order to pull that off, it required some heroics in game 3, where they edged Riga in OT 3-2. Katie Warren scored their first goal of the playoffs to win the game, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The first two games in the series were comfortable wins, with Davos winning 3-1 in Game 1 and 4-1 in Game 2; Riga's offensive efforts were meager at best. Davos finished it off with a 2-0 shut out win in Game 4 to put an exclamation point on what was an excellent performance from their entire crew. The defense was lights out in the series, and the offense didn't miss any golden opportunities to bury the puck. That was the difference in the series: execution. Davos executed their plan to perfection and Riga didn't have an answer for it. The players were elated coming off of the victory during their talks with the media before round 2, and seemed ready to tackle whatever opponent they would face next. The Helsinki Titans, however, presented much more of a challenge in round 2 and would not be walked over; things right now look quite grim for Davos' Cup hopes, with the Dynamo trailing 3-1 in the series. It's quite a wide margin to trail by in this sort of series, and it got to this point by a series of mishaps out on the ice. They lost game 1 4-2 and game 2 4-3; allowing that many goals is devastating against such a ferocious opponent. Davos did get one win by smothering Helsinki's offense in game 3, earning a 3-1 win. But Helsinki extended their lead and forced Davos to the brink of elimination with a crushing 4-2 victory; again, allowing 4 goals proved to be too much to give Davos a chance to win. Now, Davos must win Game 5 to stay alive, but things aren't looking bright; they'll need more out of their goaltender. Finn Davison needs to play like he did during the Riga series and their game 3 victory for Davos to have a chance at pulling off a comeback. At the least, at least Davos won't have been swept in the way Riga was, because that would be an embarrassment for the players who have been suffering a long time to get this chance; they don't need their morale crushed that way. It's not over yet, but it's looking like Davos will need a miracle to just even up the series, let alone emerge the victory. Whatever the case, Davos will be looking for someone to play the hero in game 5 and the players should be playing as if they have nothing to lose.

Boris the Forest got 200 TPE, claiming +10 https://vhlportal.com/players/playerfocus/1773

Derek England got 200 TPE, claim +10 https://vhlportal.com/players/playerfocus/1835

1. How do you think Davos will do in the playoffs this year? 2. Who do you think are the favorites going into the playoffs? 3. How do you feel about your personal numbers in the regular season? 4. Are you happy with the ice time you’ve gotten this year? 5. What would it mean to you to win a cup this year? 6. How is the Davos locker room? 7. Who has been the biggest star player for Davos? 8. How much of a role do you think goaltending has played in the team’s success? 9. What are your plans for the offseason? 10. What’s the most important thing for you in deciding what team you play for?

It has been confirmed that the HC Davos Dynamo will reach the playoffs after a long-standing drought, and struggling Davos right winger Pat Svoboda chimed in with his thoughts. "After such a depressing season for me personally, this is the sort of good news I needed to hear to lift my spirits. It's like a cloud has been hovering over me, and I was so caught up in my own misery that I zoned out in a way, didn't even notice the standings. But now, the postseason, for me will be a chance for redemption, and it'll be a whole new experience. I've never been in the playoffs before, and I have no idea how we can match up against Riga, but we can try. I just want to see what it's like for myself and put up a good showing; I want to be last season's Pat Svoboda during the playoffs. The whole team is very pumped and we want to win. We're willing to do whatever it takes, so now we just have to wait for the last three games to be over with and then the real season starts. It would all feel so much better if in a week's time, me and my teammates are hoisting a cup over our heads," said Pat Svoboda.

SBA +6

1. Are you worried by the fierce competition at goalie? 2. How do you think VHL compares to your SBA? 3. How welcoming have folks in VHL been? 4. Do you have a VHL team you wish to play for? 5. How active are you planning to be? 6. What do you think is your biggest strength as a goalie? 7. How important is playing time to you as a goalie? 8. How many years would you like to stay down in the VHLM? 9. Are you concerned with your goalie having an insanely high height for hockey? 10. Do you think being over 30 would hinder you from having a long career?