HK Poprad
| HK Poprad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname | Kamzíci |
| City | Poprad, Slovakia |
| League | Slovak Extraliga |
| Founded | 1935 (as "HC Tatry") |
| Home arena | Poprad Ice Stadium (capacity 4,233) (Slovak: Zimný štadión mesta Poprad) |
| Colours | Blue, royal blue, white |
| Owner(s) | (Richard Pichonský, chairman) |
| General manager | Július Koval |
| Head coach | Ján Šimko |
| Captain | Adam Cracknell |
| Website | www.hkpoprad.sk |
HK Poprad is a professional ice hockey team in the Slovak Extraliga, the top ice hockey league in Slovakia. It plays its games in Poprad, Slovakia. The squad's greatest successes include 2nd place in the Slovak Extraliga in 2006, 2011 and 2021. The team finished in the standings of the 2023-2024 season in 1st place, with a record of 27 wins and 15 losses. The club is nicknamed Kamzíci, which means "Chamoises" in Slovak.
History
[edit]HK Poprad, in its current incarnation, was founded in 1935 by the merger of two existing teams. Those teams were "SK Vysoke Tatry" (founded in 1926), and a team called "HC Poprad" (founded in 1929 as "Karpathenverein Poprad", name changed to "HC Poprad" in 1930). The 1935 merged team was named "HC Tatry". They started playing in the original SNHL, a 2nd-tier league, and eventually played as one of the strongest teams in various other 2nd-tier leagues. During this time, they went through various name changes, and won Slovak championships in 1970, 1981,1985, and 1991. The 1991 team, known at the time as "SKP PS Poprad", was admitted into the 1st-tier Extraliga of Czechoslovakia.
After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Poprad started playing in the new independent Slovak Championship which was named the Slovak Extraliga. The team underwent more minor name changes until 2010, and since that year, the official team name has been HK Poprad.
In the 1996–97 season Poprad was eliminated in the semifinals by HC Košice. In the next season 1997–98, they played semifinals again against HC Košice and lost 0–3. However, these two seasons were successful because the team won bronze medals. In the 2005–06 season the team reached the most remarkable success, but lost 3–4 in the final series against MsHK Žilina. This success was repeated in the 2010–11 season, when they played against the long-time rival HC Košice and lost 1–4 in the final.
Season-by-season record
[edit]This is a partial list of the last ninth seasons completed by HK Poprad.
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, OTW = Overtime/shootout wins, OTL = Overtime/shootout losses, L = Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2015–16 | 50 | 18 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 68 | 139 | 149 | 6th, Extraliga | Lost in Quarterfinals, 1–4 (HKM Zvolen) |
| 2016–17 | 56 | 18 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 75 | 153 | 167 | 7th, Extraliga | Lost in Quarterfinals, 0–4 (HK Nitra) |
| 2017–18 | 56 | 25 | 6 | 4 | 21 | 91 | 159 | 152 | 6th, Extraliga | Lost in Quarterfinals, 0–4 (HK Dukla Trenčín) |
| 2018–19 | 57 | 28 | 9 | 3 | 17 | 102 | 168 | 147 | 5th, Extraliga | Lost in Semifinals, 2–4 (HC '05 Banská Bystrica) |
| 2019–20 | 55 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 99 | 170 | 131 | 4th, Extraliga | Not held due to the coronavirus pandemic |
| 2020–21 | 50 | 26 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 95 | 186 | 133 | 3rd, Extraliga | Lost in Finals, 1–4 (HKM Zvolen) |
| 2021–22 | 50 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 20 | 71 | 165 | 161 | 6th, Extraliga | Lost in Quarterfinals, 3–4 (HK Nitra) |
| 2022–23 | 50 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 21 | 72 | 151 | 153 | 7th, Extraliga | Lost in Wild card round, 0–3 (HK Nitra) |
| 2023–24 | 50 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 94 | 163 | 119 | 1st, Extraliga | Lost in Quarterfinals, 2–4 (HK Nitra) |
Honours
[edit]Domestic
[edit]
3rd place (1): 1937–38
1st. Slovak National Hockey League
Winners (4): 1969–70, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1990–91
Runners-up (4): 1966–67, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1987–88- 3rd place (6): 1968–69, 1970–71, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1982–83, 1985–86
Pre-season
[edit]- Winners (14): 1936/1937, 1937/1938, 1938/1939, 1941/1942, 1946/1947, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2023
Players
[edit]Current roster
[edit]Source: hkpoprad.sk[1]Source: eliteprospects.com[2]As of 20 December 2024.
Retired numbers
[edit]| No. | Player | Position | Career | No. retirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Arne Kroták | LW | 1990–2019 | September 13, 2019[3][4] |
Franchise scoring leaders
[edit]These are the top-ten-point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed regular season.[5]
- * – current Poprad player
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game
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Franchise playoff scoring leaders
[edit]These are the top-ten playoff point-scorers in franchise playoff history. Figures are updated after each completed season.[6]
- * – current Poprad player
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Poprad player
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NHL alumni
[edit]
Jamie Arniel (2022)
Ľuboš Bartečko (1993–1994, 2010, 2014–2015)- Peter Bondra (2004)
- Michal Handzuš (1996)
- Kevin Henderson (2016)
- Miroslav Ihnačák (1992, 2004)
- Brandon Mashinter (2021)
- Ladislav Nagy (2010)
- Andrej Nedorost (2011)
- Radoslav Suchý (1994, 2004–2005, 2010–2016)
- Tomáš Surový (2000)
- Ľubomír Vaic (1993–1994, 2011–2013)
- Kyle Wanvig (2010)
Viktor Svedberg (2024)- Adam Cracknell (2025)
Teemu Pulkkinen (2025)- Ben Thomas (2025)
Ivan Vishnevskiy (2021)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Team Roster / HK Poprad". www.hkpoprad.sk. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
- ^ "Team Roster / HK Poprad". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
- ^ "HK Poprad has eliminated the legendary number 13". www.hkpoprad.sk.
- ^ "Poprad to retire Arne Kroták". www.hkpoprad.sk.
- ^ "HK Poprad Career Leaders – eliteprospects.com". www.eliteprospects.com.
- ^ "HK Poprad - All Time Playoffs Player Stats – eliteprospects.com". www.eliteprospects.com.
External links
[edit]- Official website (in Slovak)
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