Bojovnik

It’s fair to say that the Riga Reign have flattered to deceive over the past week. At the start of the season, the Reign looked like they could be a contender to top the European Conference along with the Malmo Nighthawks, although the Latvian club’s recent form has seen them drop behind not just Malmo, but also the Warsaw Predators and HC Davos Dynamo over the last seven days. There have been some signs of friction within the camp, but the elation was palpable on Friday, after the Reign defeated second-place Warsaw Predators 6-2 in a dominant display. The team’s designated backup Matthew A Sovick Jr had a game to remember, stopping 57 of 59 shots, but many of the team’s top producers, include Cabe McJake and Artair McCloud stepped up to the plate with multi-point nights. Czech defenceman Jan Hlozek, who had three assists in the game, said that getting a big win over a close rival was vital if the Reign wanted to guarantee their place in the playoffs. “It’s been a tough go of it recently. We’ve struggled with consistency and playing our best game each and every night. We need to take the positives from this game as we are gunning for a playoff spot. We have all the tools we need to win, now it’s on us players to show it,” he said in a media scrum.

Bump.

LONDON, August 16 (Associated Press) - One of the most challenging things in professional sports is the conundrum between team success and individual plaudits. Many players want to become champions, but often, being a champion means sacrificing your own personal goals for the greater good. We sat down with experts in sports psychology to get their views on what really motivates professionals across the globe. For the purpose of this article, we will look at the Victory Hockey League, the world’s top professional league. Due to the tough nature of the league, many players only have a handful of seasons to try their luck at winning a Continental Cup, but it is clear that there are others who are truly focused on winning Scotty Campbell trophies en route to the Hall of Fame. “I think as time has gone on, with the growth of personal endorsement deals, high-profile agents, sports have become more individualized. Now we are seeing players who think they are indispensable to their teams, truly focused on their own goals. Maybe 20 or 30 years ago, most players would sacrifice themselves for the team,” Dr. Albert Schwarz, a professor of sports psychology at the University of Leipzig, said. Joseph Schmidt, a former hockey agent, said that good players are often asked to take lesser roles if they want to be part of a championship team, which in turn can hurt their goals and points totals when all said is done. “If you want to be on a championship team, there are guys who would be top-line forwards who are asked to be on the second line, or guys playing on the second pairing who, on another team, would be getting top pairing minutes. It truly depends on what motivates the player and what they want to achieve from their career,” Schmidt said. In the VHL, there is some cache for winning team awards. The famous triple crown, consisting of a VHL title, VHLM title, and gold in the World Cup, drives many players to remain on cup contenders even at their own personal, and financial loss. Keeping a championship team together in the salary cap era is becoming increasingly difficult for GMs, especially as players know that they have a better shot at fighting off regression if they have more dollars coming into their account. Jan Hlozek, a defenceman for the Riga Reign, said that he believed that some of the players in the VHL were placing greater emphasis on their own short-term goals, rather than wanting to win the cup at the end of the season. “I’m not going to name names, but we recently had a guy ask for a trade who was a rookie in his first season. He had four guys in front of him on the depth chart, but he was a first round pick. His time would come, but the guys these days don’t want to be patient. They can’t see themselves as part of a winning team. I guess it’s disappointing, but we have to make the best of it,” Hlozek told the Associated Press.]

1. Would it be possible to alter the portal, so that on your player page, there's stuff like a photo/number/jersey etc. Like a real profile you would see on a website. This just might make it seem more "cool" to have a player on the site, and maintain that connection 2. I'm guessing there's nothing that really can be done with "live streaming" games or having some sort of commentary using the text read out from STHS? Might take a lot of effort but could build some suspense especially during playoffs etc. 3. An official top prospects game before the VHL Draft?

Week Two

1. Offence wins games, defence wins championships. Let's keep it going. 2. Honestly, if a guy doesn't want to be here, that's his loss and he deserves to be out the door. 3. Best: Press conferences. Worst: Graphics 4. I think it was Carter before. Not sure now 5. No. We're going to beat them in the playoffs. 6. Would have to be something like Foot Locker or Size

The Riga Reign’s offence this season has been, in a word, shaky. That was until last night, when Latvia’s team put on a show on Broadway to down the New York Americans 11-3. Riga went to work early in the game, scoring four goals in each of the opening two periods to put their mark on the game. Artair McCloud and Cabe McJake led the line, racking up five points each, complimented by four points from Jolly Greene Giant on the blueline. Speaking after the game, Czech defenceman Jan Hlozek, who registered a goal and two assists in the game, said that it was good to get the shackles off. “We know that we’ve been struggling to score consistently throughout the season, so it was great to see it all come together tonight. We know that we have the quality on the roster to be a high-scoring team, but we also know that we can shut it down when needed,” Hlozek said. For the Topolna native, keeping up this momentum is vital as the season nears the halfway mark. “We’re still challenging for top spot in the European Conference and results like this should give us the confidence to know that we are a match for anyone in this league,” he said.

Riga Reign defenceman Jan Hlozek is soft spoken and rarely reveals much, but in a sit down interview with Lifestyle magazine, the Czech sensation told us what he likes to do when he’s not on the ice. Hlozek moved to the Latvian capital a season and a half ago, one year after being drafted by the Reign in the first round of the S77 VHL Entry Draft. He impressed in his debut campaign, finishing second in rookie scoring, and the promising Czech dynamo has said previously that he is becoming ever more comfortable among the VHL’s elite. But we’re not here to talk about hockey, right? LS: So Jan, thanks for speaking with us today. Tell us, what sort of activities did you get up to as a youngster? JH: Thanks for having me. Well, growing up in a small village in the Czech Republic, there’s not a lot you really can do other than run around and play sports. We had a lake that froze for a bit in the winter, so we played there, and during the summer, we played a lot of tennis, went on hikes, that sort of thing. LS: What is life like in a place like Topolna? JH: It’s nice. I missed it while I was away in Saskatoon and Miami. Not only is it difficult being far from home, but places like Topolna are super close knit. Everyone knows everybody. My dad makes wine and other alcohol at home, so we always had friends come on over and visit when I was a kid. LS: What sort of alcohol are we talking about? JH: There’s a saying in Czech, if you grow it, you can make alcohol from it. We have all sorts. Maybe you will now things like slivovice, which is a brandy from plumbs, or hruskovice, which is a brandy made from pears. My dad has all the equipment. His speciality, in my opinion, is a cherry brandy that he makes. That’s my favourite, and I’m always asking him to bring some with him now that he can come to my games more often. LS: Speaking purely in terms of off-ice activities, where’s the best place you’ve played in the VHL or VHLM so far? JH: I mean, there’s not a lot you really can do in Saskatoon. The people there were amazing, so welcoming, but there wasn’t really a buzz. Miami, of course, is the absolute opposite of that. I would say there’s even too much that you can do. There’s so many distractions, always something going on. In that sense, Riga really feels comfortable for me. It reminds me a bit of Prague, in that the architecture is beautiful and it’s got that sense of familiarity. Plus, the food here is great, and there are also some good bars if you want to relax. LS: Run me through an ideal off-day for Jan Hlozek JH: I know that I’m not Finnish, but I love the sauna. Well, sauna and steam room, whatever. I like taking care of myself, so in the morning I’d want to go down to a hotel spa and get a massage, sit in the sauna, steam room, pool, just take time to get my head together. We play hard all season so it’s tough to get the time to really take care of yourself. After that, some nice food, Vietnamese is my favourite, and then honestly just relax. I like going out for walks, maybe playing some backgammon, speaking to friends at home. I’m a quiet guy normally, I like to keep to myself a lot of time when we're in season. LS: What did you get up to this offseason, apart from training? JH: I know it’s been tough to travel what with COVID and everything, but like every good Czech kid, I had to go to Croatia. It’s our number one holiday destination, I kid you not. There’s films and everything about it. I’m lucky to have the opportunities that I am, so I was able to drive down to Split and get the boat over to Hvar. For me, that island is paradise. I don’t need the Maldives or Bora Bora or whatever. For me, I try to get to Hvar as much as possible. LS: With hockey players these days, branding yourself is vital. Do you have any business interests that you’re pursuing at the present time? JH: This is a field that I’m just getting into, now that I’ve established myself and have some companies or businessmen come to me with proposals. I co-own a set of hockey schools back at home, but I also want to move into clothing. I know some designers here in Riga who are interested in launching something, so I’m hoping something comes of that. LS: So you’re into fashion then? JH: I mean I try to be. I guess I like sneakers most of all. That’s something we didn’t really have a lot of in the Czech Republic, access to nice sneakers, so when I turned pro, that’s something that I allowed myself to get into. It’s like its own subculture and it’s own world. I can literally spend hours researching or trying to find a pair of rare shoes. I guess it helps me take my mind off from hockey at sometimes. LS: Okay, to finish, a couple of quick fire questions. Firstly, pizza or pasta? JH: Has to be pasta. I can’t live without it and it keeps me going. LS: Coca Cola or Pepsi? JH: I can’t understand anyone who would ever pick Pepsi. LS: Karel Gott or Krystof? JH: (laughs) are you kidding me? How did you research these old Czech guys. If I’m honest, I don’t like either of them, but if I had to pick one…. I guess I’d have to go for Karel Gott because at least he has a legend around him. LS: Slavia Prague or Sparta Prague? JH: Neither of them. I will flat out say that now. I was born as a fan of Zlin, and I’ll be that way until the end. LS: Thanks for joining us Jan, best of luck for the rest of the season. JH: Much appreciated.

1. I'm super confident. We just won three on the bounce. We have all the pieces, just need to show up every night. 2. I think we have every chance of coming out on top. 3. Both of them have been amazing so far. They anchor our forward and d pairings respectively. We're lucky to have them. 4. He's such a good player. He should be up there for rookie of the year. 5. Gotta show some love for Sasky. 6. Renting a car and driving thru Croatia.

Riga Reign defenceman Jan Hlozek has once again seemed off the pace at the start of the season, and the Czech blueliner told CZHockey that he was doing everything in power to turn around his poor form. The Reign have been the best defensive team in the VHL, conceding just 70 goals through 27 goals. However, the Latvian side have also been one of the worst attacking sides, finding the back of the net just 77 times. Like his team, Hlozek has struggled offensively in S79 to date. He has just one goal from 57 shots on goal, and looks well off the pace to match his 50-point rookie season. “It’s been super difficult this season, I’m not going to lie. Driver has been great for us in net and we’re doing well to keep our opponent’s shot totals down, but we’re also having such an issue getting pucks in the net,” Hlozek said. The Reign currently sit in third place in the European conference with a 16-10-1 record, and Hlozek said that the Latvian side was desperate to reverse their 0.500 form of the past week. “It seems like we’re winning one, losing the next one, and then winning the one after that. We need to put a series of wins together like we did in the first week of the season,” Hlozek stated.

LOADING UP

Week two claiming

1. Amazing start to the season, we just need to keep the momentum going 2. I think we've got the veterans entering their primes and new talent joining every season. 3. He's been ridiculously good. Gives us a chance to win every night. 4. Coco shreddies 5. I think whoever David Krejci signs for in the Czech Republic. 6. Labrador

When the Malmo Nighthawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the second period of yesterday's game against the Riga Reign, few could have expected what would come next. The Reign have got off to a solid start to S79, but the free-scoring Nighthawks, who won 9 of their opening 11 games, scoring more 56 goals in the process, have been the talk of the league. However, the Reign rallied back to mount a miraculous comeback, scoring twice in the second half of the second period before netting two goals in the third. Rookie Anze Miklavz scored the winner with just 42 seconds left to play in regulation. For Riga Reign defenceman Jan Hlozek, the win over the Nighthawks had personal significance, given his long-standing feud with Malmo's Druss Deathwalker @animal74 "It was an amazing performance by the boys to get us back into this game. We could have collapsed after conceding those two goals in the first minute of the second, but the coach called a timeout, we regrouped, and we got the win," Hlozek said after the game. "Look, the team comes first, but it was funny to see how quiet Deathwalker was after this game. He looked a little embarrassed and rushed off the ice with his tail between his legs. Funny how that happens with the guys that talk the loudest isn't it?" the Czech blueliner added.

The Riga Reign knew that they would have to start S79 strong after two seasons of missing the VHL playoffs, and the club from the Latvian capital have done just that. The Reign currently sit in second place in the European Conference after starting the season with a 9-3 record. They have won five straight games, including a miraculous 4-3 win over the high-flying Malmo Nighthawks after trailing 3-0 in the second period. "Things are great in the camp. I think we're finally starting to become the team that we thought we could be last season. The guys on the team know the struggles we've had over the past two seasons, so we're highly motivated to keep this going and ensuring that we don't become complacent, as at the moment, we will be our own worst enemy," defenceman Jan Hlozek said. Offseason acquisition Zamboni Driver has been a true pillar in net since joining the team. Driver currently sits top of the goalie standings with an outstanding save percentage of 0.940, and Hlozek said that the Reign's new goalie is giving his team a chance to win every night. "I know that we have some good defencemen on this team, and that we should be able to keep scoring chances low, but Driver has been so good for us over the start of the season. I don't want to say we had bad goaltending last season because that would be unfair, but with Driver, there's a new confidence that I think is running through the whole team," the Czech blueliner remarked. The Reign are blessed with significant depth on their blueline compared to other teams in the VHL. This could explain why they have conceded just 24 goals through 12 games, 11 goals less than any other team in the league. Hlozek said that he was proud to be part of a defensive unit that appeared to be having so much success. "I remember it was Sir Alex Ferguson who always pushed the line: attacking wins you games but defending wins you championships. That's something that I think we're trying to put into practice. Of course, it's far too early to be talking about us being a contender for the VHL title, but we have to believe that we are a team that is capable of winning it," he said. The Czech blueliner, who hails from the eastern village of Topolna, has often been a slow starter throughout his career in the VHLM and VHL to date, especially when it comes to offensive production. Through 12 games, Hlozek is yet to find the back of the net and he has totaled just seven assists, but he said that he was happy to be blocking shots and throwing the body, rather than getting his name on the scoresheet. "Look, I've been getting shots, I've been contributing as I know how. But for me, I worked super hard this offseason on things that would improve my defensive play first of all. I know that I'm not going to get on PP1 at the moment because we have guys like Linus Zetterstrom and Jolly Greene Giant. Those guys are going to be our big producers, so I have to make sure that I can be out there on PK1 so they can get the rest they need," Hlozek stated. Hlozek already has experience of contributing in important games, as the Czech blueliner was a major feature of the Miami Marauders' S77 Founders' Cup title run, as well as Team Europe's World Junior Championship gold the same season. He said that the Reign's priority for now was making the VHL playoffs, as anything can happen once you get your ticket to the dance. "The European Conference is a warzone. There are so many good teams in our conference who are battling each night. None of the games are easy, and we could just as easily go on a five-game losing streak as we could go on a five-game winning streak. This means that we have to be ready to go every night, and we need to be sure that we are going to bounce back when the eventual rough patches in our form appear," he said. "We just have to get into the playoffs. That's all we can focus on right now. Once you make it there, it's a whole different game, it's a whole different scenario. I think we have all the things in place to be a contender, and that's where we should be. We've had a couple of tough seasons, but now it's our time to make a statement and show the VHL that we are a serious team to be reckoned with," Hlozek added. The Czech blueliner also said that he was committed to giving the fans in Latvia a team they could be proud of, adding that he thought some teams had slighted the Reign in his time in the league. "I think last season, a couple of teams maybe didn't take us seriously. You could see that in the way they played or the way they talked about us in the media. We're using that as the motivation now. We learned our lessons, we took our lumps, but this is our time. This is Riga's time, and we're going to make the city, the country, and the entire Baltic region proud of us," Hlozek stated. The Reign are set to face off against the Prague Phantoms and D.C. Dragons later this evening as they look to keep their winning run going. The Dragons currently sit in second place in the North American Conference having dropped just one game in regulation, although the team from the US capital have remarkably lost six games in overtime or a shootout this season to date. "I don't think we need to change our tactic to face any team. If we're responsible in our own zone, and let Driver see the shots he's facing, then I think we have enough to beat any team in the league," Hlozek concluded.

F - Cabe McJake @MexicanCow123

G - Kunibuni UnGuri @Baby Boomer

1. Ledge and Hedge did fantastically. 2. I think we got some real quality in this draft. We're getting the depth we need to go on a run. 3. We simply have to make the playoffs. No ifs or buts. 4. Zamboni Driver is gonna lead us to glory. I'm sure of it 5. Managed to get a lot of stuff done this off-season. My muscles are hurting. 6. I don't think I've been to the cinema in like 5 years.

D - Linus Zetterstrom @MexicanCow123

F - Isau DaMoose @Baby Boomer

Woops mb, that's what I get for not learning the rules.

12 hours has passed @Rhynex Entertainment so I'm taking my selection. D - Hard Markinson @MexicanCow123

F - Aloe Dear @Rhynex Entertainment

Riga Reign defenceman Jan Hlozek returned to the Latvian capital on Tuesday ahead of his second season in the VHL, but the Czech blueliner looked to dodge questions from reporters over a fracas last season upon his arrival at Riga International Airport. Hlozek was notably photographed with facial lacerations as he left a hotel bar following the Reign’s elimination from playoff contention in the final game of S78. Law enforcement officers were called to the scene of the incident and filed a report, and while no criminal charges were levied against Hlozek, the team announced in the offseason that they had warned the Topolna native about his conduct. Hlozek has previously said that he was working to control his behaviour and stressed that his focus was on getting the Reign to the playoffs next season. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m only focused on what’s happening on the ice, and I won’t be making any comments on this matter at this time,” Hlozek told reporters who mobbed the Czech blueliner in the arrivals hall. The Czech native was seen climbing into a black sedan at Riga International Airport, which then rushed the Reign star to his place of residence. The Reign are set to return to action later this week when S79 gets underway.

Jan Hlozek is fresh off his rookie season with the Riga Reign, and while the young Czech blueliner made the all-rookie team and was in the running for the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy, the Topolna native knows that he still has a long way to go in his quest for glory. Hlozek was drafted by the Riga Reign eighth overall in the S77 VHL Entry Draft. At that time, the Latvian club decided that the Czech blueliner needed another season in the minors to aid his development, and Hlozek made his way to South Beach to represent the Miami Marauders. After a slow start, the Marauders turned their season around and eventually marched all the way to a Founder’s Cup title, with Hlozek playing a crucial role in creating offense from the back end. A gold medal at the World Juniors followed with Team Europe, as did a call up to the Reign. As a result, you may have expected Hlozek to go into his rookie season full of confidence, although any optimism was quickly evaporated after the Reign got off to a slow start to S78. The Reign spent much of the season on the outside looking in, although some shrewd moves at the trade deadline sent the team on a remarkable run towards the end of the season, dropping just four out of their final 16 games. One of those games ended up being the final game of the season against the Moscow Menace. With this loss, the Reign missed out on a place in the play-ins via tiebreak to Malmo. Hlozek’s success mirrored his team’s fortunes. After struggling to asset himself in the early part of the season, the Topolna native became a key contributor in the season’s final 20 games. In the end, Hlozek finished the season with 14 goals and 36 assists. He added 73 hits and blocked 115 shots, gaining plaudits for his disciplined play as he spent just 26 minutes in the penalty box. “I know I’ve said it before but I think that nothing prepares you for making the jump to the VHL. I came into the league having had all this success, but when you’re dropped on the ice against the Aloe Dears of the league, it’s really difficult to know what to do. The gap in quality between the VHLM and VHL is massive, so it really took some work to get myself up to speed,” Hlozek said. Hlozek is now part of a promising young Riga Reign core, led by the team’s remarkable S75 draft class, that is set to make some noise in the coming seasons.