miklavz the vet

[ke1vi 662]

Anze Miklavz - Veteran Presence 

 

 

 

It’s the offseason of S80 and Anze Miklavz walks out of the general managers office for the Riga Reign with a piece of paper in his hand. It’s a brand-new contract to stick with the team for another two seasons. The last time he was in this office, he signed his first ever VHL contract – to a team that didn’t even interview him heading into the S78 draft. During that time, he was young, confused and really had no idea how he was going to fit in with this team of solid S75 drafted players. He wasn’t sure how long he’d be in Riga, but wanted to prove himself after a disappointing draft day.

 

This time around it’s a bit different for Miklavz – who has found his place in Riga early, playing immediate top six minutes and contributing where he can. The team was promising, riddled with a gold mine of S75 draftees, but for some reason couldn’t figure it out and never got further than the first round, and falling short of the playoffs in the most recent year.

 

Now - with the recent shuffling of the team, Miklavz will have to take the “reigns” and be the veteran to the newer upcoming players in the draft. He has learned a lot from the pain of not being able to get it done for Riga, but knows what it takes to win. The Slovenian winger captained Team Europe to a win in his one WJC appearance, going PPG in that tournament. Miklavz hopes to take that leadership and apply it to his next chapter in Riga, where a retool is on-going with still hope to compete as early as next season.

The Reign just added six new players in the S81 draft – should Miklavz plan to play with Riga past his next contract, he will be heavily relied on to help mentor the next core for this team. But that’s not what he needs to think about right now. He now has two seasons to show the league that he can be a leader and a prominent player in the VHL. He wants to be a pro – one that draws interest from other players when it comes to free agency – and that’s the leap he’s hoping to take as he heads into his 3^rd year with the big club. When asked in a text message what Miklavz learned the most in the VHL so far:

 

“You have to keep working hard – and keep practicing on those specific skills that thrive in this league. Defense – Scoring – Handling, they are all key and if you don’t have any, you will not be competitive"