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	www.hkdukla.sk

Hokejový Klub Dukla Trenčín is a professional Slovak ice hockey club based in Trenčín, playing in the Slovak Extraliga. The club has won three Slovak league championships (1994, 1997, 2004) and one Czechoslovak league championship (1992). The team is nicknamed Vojaci, meaning "Soldiers" in English.

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History

Czechoslovak era

The club was founded on 19 January 1962, relocating the army hockey club from Opava to 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 the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League. There they lost 5 of 6 games against VŽKG 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 the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League. Dukla was placed 11th in their first season at the Top level. After five seasons, they were relegated from the Top level in the 1981–82 season. However, in the next season they won 1. SNHL and in the preliminary round defeated Olomouc and promoted to the Top level again. They were placed 6th after their comeback in the 1983–84 season. In 1985–86 there was introduced playoffs tournament in the Czechoslovak Extraliga. Dukla advanced to the playoffs in 1985–86 and there they lost 1–3 against Tesla Pardubice in the quarterfinals. They advanced to the playoffs again in 1987–88, before losing 1–3 in the quarterfinals to their Slovak rival VSŽ Košice. Dukla progressed to the finals against Tesla Pardubice in the 1988–89 season. There they lost 1–3. In the next season they progressed to the finals again where they lost 1–3 against HC Sparta Praha. In 1990–91 Dukla lost in the semifinals against Litvínov but they won the bronze medals against VSŽ Košice. The most successful season in the club history is the 1991–92 season when Dukla won the Czechoslovak Extraliga first time. In the quarterfinals they defeated Poldi Kladno 3–2, in the semifinals defeated Litvínov 3–1 and in the finals they won 3–1 against Škoda Plzeň. Žigmund Pálffy was scoring leader of Dukla in the regular season (48 Pts) and in the playoffs (26 Pts). Róbert Švehla, defenceman of Dukla, won the Golden Hockey Stick in the same season. In the last season before split Czechoslovakia Dukla won the bronze medals.

Slovak era

After dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Dukla began playing independent new Slovak Championship which was named the Slovak Extraliga. Dukla and HC Košice were playoffs finalists in first 4 seasons of the Slovak Extraliga. Dukla won the first Extraliga season in 1993–94, then they lost in the finals in two next seasons and won again in 1996–97. In the 1997–98 season Dukla was eliminated in the semifinals by HC Slovan Bratislava. In the 2000–01 season they played again in the playoffs finals. There they lost 1–3 against HKm Zvolen. Zvolen was opponent in the playoffs finals again in the 2003–04 season. Dukla won 4–2 in the finals and they won third Slovak title in their history. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout several former Dukla players came back to Trenčín, including Pavol Demitra, Marián Hossa and Marián 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 against HC Slovan Bratislava. In the 2006–07 season Dukla played in the final series against HC Slovan Bratislava but lost 0–4. In the 2009–10 season Dukla did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 1986–87 season.

NHL alumni

After the fall of the Iron Curtain many players who were born in Trenčín or started their youth career in Dukla youth system had success in the NHL. Marián Gáborík, Marián Hossa and Zdeno Chára are the most successful players who were born in Trenčín. Gáborík was drafted 3rd overall by Minnesota Wild in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the first signed player in the club history. Gáborík's teammate in Minnesota Wild was Ľubomír Sekeráš who played three seasons for the club. Chára, drafted 56th overall by New York Islanders in 1996, is the first Slovak and only the second European captain of an NHL team who won the Stanley Cup. Chára is also the first Slovak winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy, given to the best defenseman of a season. Richard Lintner was drafted in the same year as Chára, another NHL player who was born in Trenčín. Marián Hossa won Stanley Cup three times with Chicago Blackhawks. The stadium in Trenčín was named after Pavol Demitra who died in the 2011 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.com^[2]As of 15 February 2024.

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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