Bojovnik

Week two claim

G - Kevin Malone @Spence King

F - Henry Tucker @Vice

1. It's hard to say. We started well but the last two games were rough. We've got a lot of work to do. 2. It's hard to look past a Malmo repeat, they're stacked. 3. I just need to keep getting better, with each day, with each game. 4. I think a refresh would be good. It would bring some new energy. 5. Through depression. 6. My man Egor Sokolov

Transaction ID: 20774509912782886 $1mill 5TPE Doubles Week

Law enforcement agencies in the Latvian capital, Riga, announced on Friday that they had uncovered an alleged Ponzi investment scheme that had ties with a player currently on the VHL’s Riga Reign roster. Janis Strelnieks, the press officer for Latvia’s national law enforcement agency, told a press conference that investors in the Sportopol scheme, which sold consultancy and advice services to young athletes, lost an estimated 50 million euros total. Riga Reign defenceman Jan Hlozek produced promotional materials for Sportopol over the past two seasons, and Strelnieks said that the Czech defenceman had financial ties with the organisation. “Officers in our financial crime department investigated Sportopol following tip offs from a number of people who claimed that they lost money in the scheme. We are continuing to investigate whether a player from the Riga Reign was linked with the organisation, and we will be pursuing all lines of enquiry,” Strelnieks said. News agencies have attempted to reach Jan Hlozek and his representatives for comment, and Hlozek’s agent, Miroslav Preissinger, published a statement denying any known links between Hlozek and Sportopol. “My client Jan Hlozek received an endorsement from Sportopol to appear in broadcast advertising materials, but my client had no other financial ties with Sportopol nor the people who ran the company,” Preissinger said.

RIGA, September 24 (CZHockey.cz): The VHL is back! The world’s elite ice hockey league has begun in earnest once again as the top 16 teams from across the globe go to battle day in day out to decide who will lift the Continental Cup. One of these 16 teams are the Riga Reign, the pride of Latvia. The Baltic club managed to make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons in their last campaign, although the Reign succumbed in the conference semi-finals in five games. The Latvian club has notably faced salary cap issues as they look to hold on to some of their core players, including star centre Cabe McJake and prominent defenceman Linus Zetterstrom. Despite the star power on their roster, the Reign have gone 2-3 in their opening five games, leaving them in fifth place in the European Conference. The offensive fire power appears to be there, as evidenced in their 9-3 opening night victory against the Prague Phantoms, but there are serious question marks over the team’s situation in net following the retirement of Zamboni Driver this past off-season. The Reign have so far made use of emergency back-up goaltenders as they scramble to find Driver’s replacement, and Jan Hlozek, the team’s young Czech defenceman who is entering his third campaign in the VHL, couldn’t hide his frustration after the team lost their second game in a row on Thursday. “I think it’s bizarre that a team playing in the VHL is starting the season without a recognized goaltender. I mean, this sort of thing happens in the minors or in other leagues, but we’re meant to be playing at the top of the world hockey tree, and this is happening to us,” Hlozek said. The Topolna native said that he didn’t place any of the blame on the stand-in goalies who have so far performed admirably when called upon. “The guys we’re getting aren’t at fault. They come in, they try their best to do their job, and for the most part, they are giving us a chance to win each night. But we want to be contending for the title, and this isn’t something that we can be doing if we want to be challenging for the Continental Cup,” Hlozek stated. Hlozek spent the bulk of his offseason back in eastern Czech Republic, being put through his paces on a rigorous training program set out by his father, legendary Czech coach Jiri Hlozek. The Riga Reign defenceman said that the bulk of his program was focused on strength and conditioning, adding that he was determined not to start the season slowly. “I’ve been in this league system now for four seasons, and each time, I seem to start slowly and then work my way into the campaign. I don’t really know why this happens, but I’m determined to make sure that it doesn’t happen this year. I love training with my father. He knows best how to motivate me, and he’s a legend in the Czech Republic, for good reason,” Hlozek said. Through five games, Hlozek has registered six points playing on Riga’s top pairing and top powerplay. He said that he was relishing having more responsibility after spending the bulk of the past two seasons on the second units. “I think it’s my time to take this position. I’ve asked the coaching staff and the management for more responsibility as I feel that I can truly bring something more to this team. It’s been a good start so far. I feel good about my game, and things are becoming easier for me now as I’ve become fully embedded in the league and the team. Now we have to go out and give ourselves the best chance to win each night,” he said. There are still question marks over Jan Hlozek’s future as we begin S80 of the VHL. The Czech blueliner signed a one-year extension just before free agency opened, and although he has said that he is committed to winning in Riga, Hlozek appeared to be less sure about things in our interview. “I don’t really know what my plans are for the next season. This one has just started, and making sure that we’re in the playoffs and challenging for the title is my number one priority. What happens at the end of the season will happen. I will have that conservation with my agent, with my family, and we will make the best decision for us,” he stated. When pushed to ask if the current situation in net would have any impact on his decision, Hlozek also offered a revealing answer that could be construed as showing signs of dissatisfaction. “I mean, I said what I said to say. I really want to be part of a team where you feel that everyone is committed to winning, and that all people, not just the players but the management, the coaches, are taking decisions that help the team win. In Riga now, we have some fantastic pieces of the puzzle, but for the last two seasons it feels like we haven’t been able to put that puzzle together, and it’s becoming increasingly frustrating,” Hlozek commented. The Reign continue their campaign on Friday evening with a game against the Moscow Menance, followed by a clash against their fierce rivals, the Warsaw Predators. The Predators were the team to trounce the Reign all over the ice during their meeting in the postseason in S79. “Warsaw eliminated us in humiliating fashion from the playoffs last season, so we are definitely committed to getting revenge this season. They are a fantastic club, don’t get me wrong, but we know we can beat them,” the Czech defenceman said. For now, Hlozek will continue to toil, and his name is starting to become more well known around the league as he takes greater responsibility on the Latvian club’s back-end. Whether or not his future remains in the Baltic nation, however, remains to be seen, and may be a question that we don’t have any clarity on during the months ahead.

Apologies, F - Duncan Idaho @Spence King

D - Kristof Welch @Ledge and Dairy

F - Red Lite @Spence King

Confirm

Presser 19.09.2021! 1. How is off-season training going? What are you working on? 2. Did you get a chance to go on vacation ahead of training camp? 3. Who is going to be the breakout player on the Reign next season? 4. Do you prefer on-ice or off-ice training? 5. If you could ask one question in the next press conference, what would it be? 6. What is your favourite weather?

The Riga Reign may be disappointed with how their season ended in the European Conference Semi-Finals, but the Latvian side could take a crumb of comfort by knowing that Czech defenceman Jan Hlozek will be back next season. Hlozek put pen to paper on a one-year contract, worth approximately $3.5 million, off the back of a strong sophomore season that saw the Topolna native post more than 50 points for the second consecutive year. Agent Jiri Bednarek told reporters that his client was happy not to have tested free agency so early in his career, but added that Hlozek was hoping to see more improvement from the team next season. “Honza is one of the best young defencemen in the VHL, and is certainly proving why he was drafted so highly as a relative unknown. I think we all know that he is set to have a breakout season next year, but he also wants to win championships. With this agreement, we will see what happens next season, before making our decision,” Bednarek said. In a post on Instagram, Hlozek wrote simply that he was “excited” to be back with the Reign for S80. He is set to join up with the team for training camp next week.

Week two

RIGAREIGN PRESSER!!!!!! Week ending 12.09 1. So our season came to a close in the first round. How disappointing was it to go like that? 2. Why do you think that we were only able to win once in the postseason? 3. What do you feel you need to improve personally going into next season? 4. Are you hyped for the draft? 5. What are your plans for the offseason? 6. Ketchup or mayonnaise on your fries?

The Riga Reign’s season came to an abrupt close late last week as the Latvian club dropped their Conference Semi-Final series against the Warsaw Predators in just five games. The Reign struggled with their team defence, shipping seven goals in two of the five games, and there are major question marks hanging over the club with regards to their future goaltender. Jan Hlozek could also be leaving the club, as the Czech defenceman is not under contract for S80. Speaking to reporters as he boarded a flight at Riga Airport to head home for the offseason, Hlozek said that he had still not decided if he would be heading back to Latvia for S80. “You need to have that conversation with my agent. I’m waiting to hear from the club. I don’t know where I’m going to be playing next season,” he said. Hlozek has already racked up more than 100 points in the VHL over two seasons, and the Czech blueliner knows that he is looking to take on more responsibility going forward. “I’ve been a second pairing defenceman for both seasons, and I think that it’s time that I am given more responsibility to show truly what I can contribute to a team at both ends of the ice,” he said.

Someone owes me 1 TPE.

RIGA, September 6 (CZHockey) - The Riga Reign made it to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons in S79, although that will be of little consolation to the Latvian team, which was bounced out of the postseason in five games against the Warsaw Predators. Despite the early-season heroics of outgoing goaltender Zamboni Driver, the Reign’s defence looked leaky in all but one of the games as the Latvian side lost Games three, four, and five on their way to a resounding postseason loss. In Game 1, Warsaw’s top line was dominant, as Aloe Dear and Tim Waters both bagged four points each as the Polish side took a comfortable 7-4 victory. Driver was pulled at the midpoint of the game after conceding five goals, and Matthew A Sovick Jr put in an admirable performance in relief. Despite the first game defeat, the Reign looked to have sorted out many of their issues when it came to Game 2. Riga were outshoot 42-32 in the second game of the series, but Driver had a bounceback performance, stopping all but one shot as the Reign took a 3-1 victory (goals from Linus Zetterstrom, Isau DaMoose, and Justin Lose). However, that would be the only delight that the Reign would get. Warsaw shelled Riga in Game 3, with the Predators’ top line once again leading the charge in a morale destroying 7-2 win. Once again, the Reign tightened things up for Game 4, conceding just two goals, but a Chris Reynolds winner in the second period would be all the Predators needed to sneak a 2-1 victory, setting up a must-win Game 5 for the Latvian club. Consistency has been an issue for the Reign all season, and despite trading six goals in a thrilling opening period, Warsaw turned on the style in the middle frame to lead 6-4 heading into the final 20 minutes. Despite the season being on the line, the Reign mustered a paltry five shots in a third period that was dominated by the Predators, who held on for victory in both the game and the series. The Reign face several questions going into the offseason, not least with the departure of Zamboni Driver in net. Another player with a question mark over his head is defenceman Jan Hlozek, whose rookie deal has now expired. The Topolna native couldn’t hide his disappointment when he spoke to reporters after the Game 5 loss. “We played all season to go out like that. It’s frankly embarrassing. Maybe our start to the season was too good and we got ahead of ourselves, but we’ve been struggling to put it together at all over the last 50 games or so. It’s so disappointing given the quality that we know we have on this roster, and it really leaves some question marks over what is going to happen next,” Hlozek said. Several days later, Hlozek spoke with CZHockey to give his thoughts on the season that was, also revealing some insights into his future and his conversations with the Reign’s management following the disappointing end to the season. “I’m still trying to pull together my thoughts from this past season. Once again, I think it is fair to say that we have underperformed given the strength of our roster. We have a number of players who are really in their prime at the moment, so it’s once again frustrating that we can’t seem to get things going and consistently perform,” Hlozek said. The Topolna native bettered his points totals from his rookie season, only just. Hlozek had 50 points in his debut campaign, and looked set to fall below that total for much of the season, before he burst into form in the final week of the season. Despite that, Hlozek had just three points in five playoff games, registering just four hits, and the Czech blueliner said that the experience of playing in the VHL playoffs for the first time had given him even more motivation to improve his skills before S80. “We all know that the game gets harder in the postseason. I’m not saying anything new here. Warsaw played well, they dominated us for most of the series, and I don’t just mean with their skill. They were more physical, they used the body. Maybe we weren’t prepared for that. I know I could have been more prepared, so I know that going into this offseason I have to invest in my strength and conditioning so that I will be ready for whatever happens next season,” Hlozek said. Speaking of next season, Hlozek has yet to re-sign with the Riga Reign. The Czech blueliner has previously said that he is happy in Latvia, although could it be that the recent playoff disappointment and several off-ice incidents could see the Topolna native look to leave the club after just two seasons in the VHL? “That’s a conversation that my agent and I will have to have in the coming days. I’m yet to hear anything from team’s management, which I guess you could say is quite surprising. I’m willing to sit down and have discussions, but they have to realize that a player’s career is short. I don’t know what is going to happen with our situation in net, so I have to make the best decision for me first and foremost,” Hlozek remarked. Since being drafted 8th overall in S77, Hlozek has scored 104 points in 144 games and is on the way to becoming one of the best Czech players to have ever played in the VHL. Despite this, he knows that team success will go a long way to deciding his legacy once his career is over. “Look, I’m here to win. I want to contribute to help a team win, sure, and scoring points goes a long way to doing that. But I don’t just want to win one Continental Cup. I want to win as many as I can, multiple wins. I’ll be doing my all to make that happen,” he concluded.

1. I'd love to be optimistic. The last games were rough but we know we can beat them if we play our best. 2. We definitely need someone. Makes no sense to rebuild with our core. 3. Poland is the worst of the Visegrad countries. 4. Definitely the tree option. It's a workout 5. Banana. 6. I think I'd have to say squirrel. Would prefer a hedgehog though!

Let's go Reign

Everyone knows that playing hockey at the highest level requires great sacrifice, both mental and physical. At the end of the season, teams regularly let the press know which players have played through injuries, although Riga Reign defenceman Jan Hlozek decided to reveal all ahead of the Latvian club's upcoming postseason campaign. "I've been battling with my fitness all season. I've had some tweaks and pulls that have really taken away from my game. However, I feel good and the medical staff have been great with me. I've been at full fitness this past week and it's really showed, I think," Hlozek told reporters. The Czech defenceman has scored at over a point per game pace over the past 10 games as Riga's second line has truly popped off. After a season of struggles, the Reign are finally getting the depth scoring they will need to mount a true playoff campaign. "It's great to be feeling good out there. I haven't had this level of confidence in my body for a long time, and I think it is showing with my production. I know that I tend to start slow and come good playoff time. Now I get the chance to show this when we play Warsaw," he concluded.

The Reign did it. They closed out their season strongly and booked their place in the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. In all, the Reign finished S79 with a 37-30-5 record. The Latvian club will be disappointed that their form faltered around the trade deadline, as the Reign started the season as one of the hottest clubs in the VHL, sitting atop of the European Conference in the early stages of the campaign before they were overtaken by the Malmo Nighthawks. Who are they up against? Well, the Warsaw Predators, one of the most impressive teams in the league over the second half of the season. The Polish club is blessed with depth throughout the roster and will look to offer a stern test for the Reign. There were signs of optimism for the Reign in the final week of the season. The team's much-maligned second line suddenly burst into action, with Isau DaMoose having a career week, registering two hattricks in as many games. Sophomore defenceman Jan Hlozek also turned on the style, scoring at over a point per game pace in the final 10 games of the season to finish the campaign with a new career high in points (11 + 43 – 54). Speaking to CZHockey ahead of the start of the postseason, Hlozek said that he was excited to finally get to play in what many consider to be the pinnacle of global hockey. "This is what we're here for right? We play to win titles, we play for glory, and there's no better place to do that in the playoffs, and I know that we are ready to put these two seasons behind us and do well this year. "It was super disappointing to miss out on this opportunity last season. We knew we had to improve, and I think we still have a long way to go. However, I'm fully confident that this team has what it takes to mount a serious challenge," Hlozek said. The Czech blueliner has experience of lifting champions before. A two-time Czech junior champion, Hlozek shone for the Miami Marauders in their S77 Founder's Cup win. In that campaign, the Marauders faltered in their Quarter-Final match-up, requiring seven games to get past the San Diego Marlins. However, from then on, it was smooth sailing, as the South Beach club swept their opponents in both the Semi-Finals and the Final to win the VHLM title. Reflecting on his past experiences, Hlozek said that winning this, as well as the World Junior Championships in S77, has given him valuable experience to take forward into this season. "I'm a big believer in that you have to learn how to win. I mean, you have to know what it requires, the sacrifice, to win. It means that you have to learn how to play through injury, what it means to truly empty the tank. Not all guys know what it requires, so you have to know what it means to do the hard miles," Hlozek said.

1. I'm so ready for playoff hockey. I hated the long off-season last year. 2. I'm sure anyone we get will contribute. I have full faith in the team 3. At the start I would have said Driver, but I think we have to go with McJake, he's done it all 4. I missed the predictions deadline. 5. Bratislava! 6. Garlic!

Riga Reign defenceman Jan Hlozek has appeared to be in the midst of a sophomore slump all season. In his second VHL campaign, the Czech blueliner looks set to register fewer points than he did in his rookie season, and the Topolna native could not hide his disappointment after yet another loss yesterday. Hlozek scored 50 points last season from the blueline to finish second in rookie points scoring. This earned him a spot on the VHL's All-Rookie team, but with 40 points through 62 games in S79, Hlozek looks like he will be unable to match or better this total. Perhaps more alarmingly, Hlozek appears to be shooting the puck less. In S78, he registered 164 shots. Through 62 games this season, he has just managed to get the puck on net a total of 131 times. "It's difficult to say what's happened this season. I understand where I sit on the depth chart, because there are at least two more experienced guys ahead of me. Either way, I'm not doing more than enough on the second pairing, and it has certainly been frustrating," he said following Riga's loss to the DC Dragons on Monday. The Reign have just 10 games to go in the season to book their place in the playoffs, after two consecutive postseason misses.

1. I have faith in all the guys, the players and the management, that we can truly turn it around. 2. I know that the boss is always looking to make the team better. I have faith in him that he'll do what is needed. 3. Prime Scotty Campbell 4. It has to be Tarzan Boy. They used it as the goal horn for the Slovakia junior teams back in the day and it was pretty cool. 5. I mean, I play hockey, I've worked in hockey. It's shaped my professional life. 6. Well I'm moving to the Gulf in the next two weeks. We'll see how that goes.