On Friday 15th September, Liam Kirk will make his competitive debut for HC VERVA Litvínov.

After being released by the Arizona Coyotes, this marks a fresh start for the GB winger, who can now look forward.

HC Litvínov competes in the Czech Extraliga, the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic.

The league was created in 1993 following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and previously featured teams based in Slovakia.

As mentioned previously, the regular season begins in September and runs until the beginning of March.

The Czech Extraliga comprises fourteen teams.

They incude Kometa Brno, HC Olomouc, Mountfield HK, Energie Karlovy, BK Mladá Boleslav, Bílí Tygři Liberec, Verva Litvínov, Dynamo Pardubice, Škoda Plzeň, HC Motor České Budějovice, Sparta Praha, Oceláři Třinec, Vítkovice Ridera and Rytíři Kladno.

Followers of the Champions Hockey League will recognise many of those teams.

The top twelve teams at the end of the season qualify for post-season play to determine the national champion. The playoffs begin in March and carry on into April.

The incentive is to finish in the top four as those teams qualify directly to the best-of-seven quarterfinals.

The teams that finish fifth through 12th play a play-in series (best-of-five) to determine who will join them.

No team wants to finish 14th, as relegation is a possibility.

The 14th team plays against the winner of the First League (second tier) in a qualifying series (best-of-seven), with the winner qualifying for the Extraliga the following season while the second team play in the First League (second tier).

Although the league previously tried to implement a salary cap, there isn’t one currently employed. As such, teams create rosters depending on their financial capabilities.

As in many leagues in Europe, the three-point scoring system is in use.

One team has dominated in recent years.

HC Oceláři Třinec have been champions five times in 2011, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. They have also been runners-up on three occasions.

The champions hoist the T. G. Masaryk Cup.

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk was the first president of Czechoslovakia, presiding from 1918 to 1935. He has a history in the sport, donating the first domestic championship trophy in 1924.

It is possible to watch Czech hockey online at Fanseat.

This site shows many European leagues, providing the option to subscribe monthly to a single package or follow every league they broadcast games from for a larger fee.

https://www.fanseat.com/tipsport-extraliga

I have no opinion or insight into the level of coverage they provide, so as always, buyer beware. Please be diligent if you are considering purchasing a view package.

HC Litvínov has revamped their roster from last season, making a handful of notable signings.

Those include Canadian defenceman Kevin Czuczman, brothers David Kaše and Ondřej Kaše, RW Petr Koblasa and Liam Kirk.

They have also retained the services of netminder Matěj Tomek, who posted an impressive .931 save percentage through fourteen games last season.

Expectations have been raised accordingly for a team that has struggled in its recent history.

HC Litvínov has not finished in the top ten since the 2016-17 campaign, where they attained fifth place.

Regular season games are, for the most part, played on Fridays and Sundays, with the occasional Wednesday night tilt mixed in.

The 52-game regular season schedule has somewhat of an odd balance to it. October features ten games, whilst November will be easier on the body with just seven games.

A ten-day break in December is followed by a heavy schedule during the holiday period.

From 20-30 December, HC Litvínov plays five games, including a Boxing Day game hosting visitors Liberec.

January will be a key month with a return to a ten-game schedule. After which there is only the same amount of games remaining in the regular season.

On paper, the closest rivals are Rytíři Kladno. However, most teams are within a two to three-hour drive of Litvínov, a city situated in the north of the country and close to the border with Germany.

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