Following up on what is new in the MOL League we are hitting you with part 2 which will cover the roster and coaching staff changes to all the clubs for the 2013-2014 season. Here is a little write up on each team and what they expect from the season.
UTE (Last season: 7th)
Last season they finished at the foot of table but there are some high hopes out in Újpest. The purple and white brought in a number of new players and all the signs from the off-season point toward an improved club. General Manager Róbert Dömötör believes that the combination of the new players they have brought in and a pretty good pre-season they are shooting for a 5th placed finish or grab that 4th place that puts them into the playoffs. Two of the new players who will be lulling on the purple and white sweater will not be new to the fans, András Horváth is coming back from Fehérvár and David Coleman is back after playing four season of college hockey in North America.
Arrivals: David Coleman (American-Hungarian; McKendree Bearcats, ACHA), Zoltán Fodor (Tisza Volán), Péter Gágyor (Vasas), Rihards Grigors (Latvian; Dinslakener EC 2009, German), Detre Hodos (Vasas), András Horváth (Fehérvár, EBEL), Ken Kuusk (Estonian; Odense II, Danish), Csaba Papp (Dab.Docler), Gergely Szabó (Nové Zámky U20)
Departures: Csaba Gergely (?), Zoltán Pál (FTC), Márkó Meretei (?), Linus Schellin (Swedish; ?), Patrik Szajbert (?), Zsolt Wéber (?)
Coaching staff: Bálint Fekti, Zsolt Baróti, János Ancsin
FTC (Last season: 6th)
The winningest team in Hungarian hockey will be starting their 85th season with great expectations but also look to the future with worried eyes. The club picked up some new foreign players and the team is aiming to make the playoffs. The team also hopes that this is their last season in the arena out in Pesterzsébet. Head of Hockey Operations Kornél Almássy says the team has the green light to build their own arena, this would save up some cash eventually that they could spend on players. There is a chance that if there is no arena by the start of the 2014-2015 season then the team could fold. This season the club has decided to only have players on their roster who will be able to come to training every day, because of this some of the older players were forced to move on from the club.
Arrivals: Krisztián Budai (Miskolc), Rickard Eriksson (Swedish; HC Boras, Swedish), Csanád Fodor (Brasov), Andreas Lindqvist (Swedish; Enköpings SK, Swedish), Jere Ölander (Finnish; Varberg HK, Swedish), Zoltán Pál (Újpest), Mikael Potila (Finnish; Viking, Norwegian), Artyom Vaszjunyin (Dab.Docler), Zsolt Wéber (Újpest)
Departures: Márton Bontovics (?), Tamás Erdélyi (Dab.Docler), Zoltán Fodor (?), Tamás Győri (?), Ádám Zoltán Hegyi (?), Attila Hoffmann (Vasas, coach), René Léránt (?), Ádám Németh (?), Tamás Pilcsik (?), Zoltán Revák (?), Dezső Roczanov (?)
Coaching staff: Tamás Dobos, Hakan Nygren (Swedish)
Corona 2010 Brasov (Last season: 5th)
The Transylvanian team had some good news and some bad news in the off-season. The bad news is that they only played three preseason games, the good news is that they were able bring back everyone from last season's team that they wanted to as well as picking up a couple of new faces as well. Last time the team just missed out on the playoffs on the last day of the regular season and only on head-to-head results - this year it's the playoffs or bust.
Arrivals: Dennis Dumitru (Steaua), Roberto Gliga (Tingsryd, Swedish), Márton Hunor (HK Trnava, Slovakian), Daniel Oprea (Steaua), Martin Saluga (Slovakian; Miskolc), Zsolt Molnár (HSC Csíkszereda)
Departures: Peter Barinka (Slovakian, ?), Tibor Basilidesz (?), Attila Borsos (?), Csanád Fodor (FTC), Levente Lőrincz (?), Claudiu Mihailescu (?), Rory Rawlyk (Canadian; Dundee Stars, EIHL)
Coaching staff: Kjell G. Lindqvist (Swedish)
Mikron Nové Zámky (Last regular season: 4th, playoffs: semi finalist)
Last season the team from Slovakia went above and beyond what they had expected to accomplish, the team made it to the playoffs. They knew that they will have to improve the roster to stay competitive as everyone else is doing the same thing. Nové Zámky went out and brought in a former World Champion in Marek Uram.
Arrivals: Erik Caladi (Lyon, French), Jan Chovan (Berkut Kiev, Ukrainian), Marek Dubec (Vsetin, Czech), Patrik Korytko (Martin, Slovakian), Pavel Kowalczyk (Czech; HC Karvina, Czech), Gergő Nagy (Miskolc), Albin Podstavek (Czech; HK Nitra, Slovakian), Marek Uram (Znojmo, EBEL), Juraj Varga (Meudon, French), Martin Zajac (Karvina, Czech)
Departures: Karol Krizan (Slovakian, Tonsberg Vikings, Norwegian), Vladimirs Mamonovs (Latvian, Bejbarisz Atirau, Kazakh)
Coaching staff: Stanislav Meciar, Ladislav Lubina
Miskolci Jegesmedvék (Last regular season: 3rd, playoffs: semi finalist)
After having an off-season where the club is completely set financially they can put 100% of their efforts into managing the product that they put on the ice. The clubs official statement is that they want to qualify for the playoffs and then see what happens after that. In reality this club is ready to take the next step and make it to the finals and even winning it all. They have the talent as well as the nice mix of Hungarians and imports, young players and cagey veterans.
Arrivals: Matt Boyle (Canadian; UPEI, CIS), Roland Budai (restarts), Curtis DeBruyn (Canadian, Alabama-Huntsville, NCAA), Dávid Duschek (Debrecen), Juraj Faith (Canadian, EHC Freiburg, GER-3.), Zalán Fliszár (Vasas HC), Roland Hajós (Fehérvár, EBEL), Jordan Knox (Canadian; UPEI, CIS), Tyler Metcalfe (Canadian-Hungarian, Fehérvár, EBEL), Mátyás Vojtkó (Nové Zámky)
Departures: Clinton Atkinson (Canadian; ?), Krisztián Budai (FTC), Tyler Czuba (Canadian; ?), Szabolcs Fodor (retired), Gőz Balázs (Morzine-Avoriaz, French), Gergő Nagy (Nové Zámky), Krisztián Nagy (Minot Minotauros, NAHL), Martin Saluga (Slovakian; Brasov), Justin Smith (Canadian; ?), Bence Szirányi (Fehérvár, EBEL)
Coaching staff: Travis Young (Canadian)
HSC Csíkszereda (Last regular season: 2nd, playoffs: finalists)
Last season the management said that their goal for the season was to win the MOL League, and they came pretty darn close to doing so. The Transylvanian powerhouse will be starting the new season with pretty much the same squad as they finished the previous one. However, this time around the management said that they would be happy if they could get back to the finals again.
Arrivals: Jozef Hruby (Slovakian, HK Michalovce, Slovakian)
Departures: Jan Fadrny (Czech; ?), Lubomir Hurtaj (Slovakian; ?), Jaroslav Kmit (Slovakian; ?), Zsolt Molnár (Brasov)
Coaching staff: Sándor Gál, Levente Hozó, Előd Antal Jr.
DAB.Docler (Last regular season: 1st, playoffs: champion)
The club from Dunaújváros is the defending champion and is not ready to give up the MOL League title any time soon either. Their goal is to build the team from within with youth players and only bringing in imports when really needed. The club is hoping that all the other teams have strengthened so that the overall level of the league has been elevated. There is a new face on the roster that fans will be happy to see in the red and white, national team player Balázs Ladányi is back in his home town. If everything goes well for the team then next season there is a chance that they will be playing in the Austrian EBEL, but that's a story for another time.
Arrivals: Tamás Erdélyi (FTC), Ivan Khomutov (Russian; Berkut Kijev, Ukrainian), Henrich Jabornik (Slovakian; Skalica, Slovakian), Janis Kalnins (Latvian; Metalurgs Liepajas, Belarusian), BalázsLadányi (Bolzano, Italian)
Departures: Marek Chvatal (Czech, ?), Péter Erdélyi (retired), Dániel Kiss (Fehérvár, EBEL), Jozef Mihalik (Slovakian; ?), Csaba Papp (UTE), Hunor Strenk (coach), Artyom Vaszjunyin (FTC)
Coaching staff: Stephan Lundh (Swedish), Jonas Johnson (Swedish), Randy Smith (Canadian)
Szabolcs Závodszky
@Zavodszky