IIHF – Continental Cup heats up   

Group E

• HC Arlan (KAZ) 
• Cardiff Devils (GBR)
• Vlci Zilina (SVK)
• Rittner Buam (ITA)

Venue: Zimny stadion, Zilina, Slovakia

HC Arlan arrives from Kokshetau in northern Kazakhstan, aiming to extend its winning streak in this competition. Undefeated in all six of its games in 2019, HC Arlan made history as the first Continental Cup champ ever from the Central Asian republic.

Kazakh teams have been making waves in the Continental Cup recently, including Nomad Astana´s impressive victory last January. HC Arlan, the reigning Kazakh national champion. currently sits third in the domestic league. Former national team player Vladimir Markelov takes the reins in his first stint as head coach.

Having steered Cardiff Devils past this hurdle of the competition in two consecutive seasons, head coach Peter Russell is eyeing a third tilt in the Continental Cup Final and an improvement on two third-place finishes. Andrew MacWilliam, who played 12 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2014-15, brings that NHL experience to the blue line. Up front, the Canadian duo of Zach O´Brien and Josh MacDonald both hit the ground running. In a team laden with potential Transatlantic match-winners, 36-year-old forward Joey Martin is the all-time leading scorer amongst imports in Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) history.

Host team Vlci Zilina is gearing up for their Continental Cup debut with momentum on their side. Under the guidance of head coach Milan Bartovic, Zilina fought through four games in just five days to defend their Slovak Cup title on home ice this month. National champions in 2006, Zilina returned to the Slovak top flight this season following a five-year hiatus.

Key players for the Wolves include Canadian netminder Connor LaCouvee and blueliner Daniel Gachulinec, who skated for Slovakia twice at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship this decade. For scoring, look out for Nick Jones, Robert Varga, and Polish national team forward Kamil Walega.

Defending Alps Hockey League champion Rittner Buam advanced from the previous round of the Continental Cup last month with a perfect record on home ice. On two occasions (2017 and 2018,  the South Tyroleans progressed to earn a place at the final round of the competition.

Alan Lobis, 20, enjoyed a fine start to the season along with two recent recruits, Diego Cuglietta and Ethan Szypula. And Eric Hjorth, a 2019 fourth-round pick of the Columbus Bule Jackets, has morphed into a colossus on the blue line….