Hlozek frustrated by season start

[Bojovnik 487]

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.

Edited September 24, 2021 by Bojovnik

[WildfireMicro 410]

REVIEW:

Overall very enjoyable! It clearly states the situation with Riga and I get the gist of how the player is feeling. I may not personally like the fact that there are so many spaces, but it is well written. Good luck to Hlozek going forward! Overall I give it an 8.5/10 personally.

[Bojovnik 487]

Week two claim

[diacope 2 764]

Hello! I see Riga is inching closer to a playoff spot, currently 5-6 and in the wildcard position. Good luck with the rest of your season. It seems like the EU conference is a bit of a toss up right now, there seems to be some good teams on that side of the pond. 9/10