HK Dukla Trenčín

HK Dukla Trenčín
HK Dukla Trenčín
Nickname	Vojaci
City	Trenčín,Slovakia
League	Slovak Extraliga
Founded	1962
Home arena	Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium; (capacity 6,150)
Colours	Yellow, red;
Head coach	Ernest Bokroš
Captain	Filip Ahl
Website	hkdukla.sk

Hokejový Klub Dukla Trenčínis a professionalSlovak ice hockeyclub based inTrenčín,playing in theSlovak Extraliga.The club has won three Slovak league championships (1994, 1997, 2004) and one Czechoslovak league championship (1992). The team is nicknamedVojaci,meaning "Soldiers" inEnglish.

History

Czechoslovak era

The club was founded on 19 January 1962, relocating the army hockey club fromOpavato Trenčín. They were members of inaugural season (1963–64) of the 1. SNHL (1st Slovak National Hockey League). They won the 1965–66 1. SNHL season and promoted to the preliminary round for theCzechoslovak First Ice Hockey League.There they lost 5 of 6 games againstVŽKG Ostrava,VTŽ Chomutov and Spartak Motorlet Praha and did not promote to the First League. Dukla won the 1. SNHL again in 1967–68, 1970–71 and 1976–77. In 1976–77 they were first time successful in the preliminary round and first time in the club's history they promoted to theCzechoslovak First Ice Hockey League.Dukla was placed 11th in theirfirst seasonat the Top level. After five seasons, they were relegated from the Top level in the1981–82 season.However, in the next season they won 1. SNHL and in the preliminary round defeatedOlomoucand promoted to the Top level again. They were placed 6th after their comeback in the1983–84 season.In1985–86there was introducedplayoffstournament in the Czechoslovak Extraliga. Dukla advanced to the playoffs in 1985–86 and there they lost 1–3 againstTesla Pardubicein the quarterfinals. They advanced to the playoffs again in1987–88,before losing 1–3 in the quarterfinals to their Slovak rivalVSŽ Košice.Dukla progressed to the finals againstTesla Pardubicein the1988–89 season.There they lost 1–3. In thenext seasonthey progressed to the finals again where they lost 1–3 againstHC Sparta Praha.In1990–91Dukla lost in the semifinals againstLitvínovbut they won the bronze medals againstVSŽ Košice.The most successful season in the club history is the1991–92 seasonwhen Dukla won the Czechoslovak Extraliga first time. In the quarterfinals they defeatedPoldi Kladno3–2, in the semifinals defeatedLitvínov3–1 and in the finals they won 3–1 againstŠkoda Plzeň.Žigmund Pálffywas scoring leader of Dukla in the regular season (48Pts) and in the playoffs (26 Pts).Róbert Švehla,defenceman of Dukla, won theGolden Hockey Stickin the same season. In thelast seasonbefore splitCzechoslovakiaDukla won the bronze medals.

Slovak era

After dissolution ofCzechoslovakiain 1993, Dukla began playing independent new Slovak Championship which was named theSlovak Extraliga.Dukla andHC Košicewere playoffs finalists in first 4 seasons of the Slovak Extraliga. Dukla won the first Extraliga season in1993–94,then they lost in the finals in two next seasons and won again in1996–97.In the1997–98 seasonDukla was eliminated in the semifinals byHC Slovan Bratislava. In the2000–01 seasonthey played again in the playoffs finals. There they lost 1–3 againstHKm Zvolen.Zvolen was opponent in the playoffs finals again in the2003–04 season.Dukla won 4–2 in the finals and they won third Slovak title in their history. During the2004–05 NHL lockoutseveral former Dukla players came back to Trenčín, includingPavol Demitra,Marián HossaandMarián Gáborík.Pavol Demitra played complete regular season and he was a scoring leader of the Extraliga (82 Pts). Despite a star lineup Dukla lost 3–4 in the excited semifinals againstHC Slovan Bratislava.In the2006–07 seasonDukla played in the final series againstHC Slovan Bratislavabut lost 0–4. In the2009–10 seasonDukla did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the1986–87 season.

NHL alumni

Afterthe fall of the Iron Curtainmany players who were born inTrenčínor started their youth career in Dukla youth system had success in theNHL.Marián Gáborík,Marián HossaandZdeno Cháraare the most successful players who were born in Trenčín. Gáborík was drafted 3rd overall byMinnesota Wildin the2000 NHL Entry Draft,becoming the first signed player in the club history. Gáborík's teammate in Minnesota Wild wasĽubomír Sekerášwho played three seasons for the club. Chára, drafted 56th overall byNew York Islandersin1996,is the first Slovak and only the second Europeancaptainof an NHL team who won theStanley Cup.Chára is also the first Slovak winner of theJames Norris Memorial Trophy,given to the best defenseman of a season.Richard Lintnerwas drafted in the same year as Chára, another NHL player who was born in Trenčín.Marián Hossawon Stanley Cup three times with Chicago Blackhawks. The stadium in Trenčín was named afterPavol Demitrawho died in the2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash.

Honours

Domestic

Slovak Extraliga

Winners (3):1993–94,1996–97,2003–04
Runners-up (5):1994–95,1995–96,2000–01,2006–07,2017–18
3rd place (3):1999–2000,2004–05,2011–12

Czechoslovak Extraliga

Winners (1):1991–92
Runners-up (2):1988–89,1989–90
3rd place (2):1990–91,1992–93

1st. Slovak National Hockey League

Winners (5): 1965–66, 1967–68,1970–71,1976–77,1982–83
Runners-up (3): 1964–65,1971–72,1974–75
3rd place (3): 1963–64, 1966–67,1969–70

Pre-season

Rona Cup

Winners (4): 1994, 2002, 2003, 2007

Tatra Cup

Winners (2): 1985, 1996

Players

Current roster

Source:hkdukla.sk^[1]Source:eliteprospects^[2]As of 15 February 2024.


No.	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
61	Filip Ahl	RW	L	27	2023	Jönköping, Sweden
34	Jozef Baláž	F	R	35	2023	Trenčín, Czechoslovakia
77	Tomáš Bokroš	D	R	35	2023	Trenčín, Czechoslovakia
72	Dávid Borák	G	L	23	2022	Trstená, Slovakia
22	Jonathan Charbonneau	RW	R	30	2023	Saint-Colomban, Quebec, Canada
95	Scott Conway	C	L	29	2023	Basingstoke, Great Britain
12	Michael Drábek	RW	L	23	2022	Partizánske, Slovakia
50	Tobias Ekberg	D	L	30	2023	Töreboda, Sweden
74	Matúš Hlaváč	D	L	23	2022	Trenčín, Slovakia
35	Denis Hudec	RW	L	31	2021	Trenčín, Slovakia
26	Marek Hudec	D	L	30	2023	Trenčín, Slovakia
62	Tor Immo	LW	L	30	2023	Köping, Sweden
14	Andrej Krajčovič	F	L	22	2020	Trenčín, Slovakia
4	Samuel Kupec	D	L	18	2022	Michalovce, Slovakia
1	Connor LaCouvee	G	L	30	2022	Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada
27	Miroslav Macejko	D	L	32	2024	Košice, Czechoslovakia
8	Šimon Petráš	RW	R	28	2022	Bratislava, Slovakia
37	Phil Pietroniro	D	R	30	2022	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
96	Marek Sloboda	LW	L	27	2022	Bratislava, Slovakia
98	Peter Sojčík	RW	L	38	2021	Dubnica nad Váhom, Czechoslovakia
19	Tomáš Starosta	D	L	43	2017	Trenčín, Czechoslovakia
–	Tomáš Záborský	LW	L	37	2024	Trenčín, Czechoslovakia