Rookie Experience: Jan Hlozek Reflects on Rookie Season

[Bojovnik 487]

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.

Edited July 19, 2021 by Bojovnik