We've asked representatives from the clubs a few questions relating to their club competing in the CHL in 2014/15. We've arranged the answers into 11 articles, one for each group. It's now time for Group G, which features Sparta Prague, the Växjö Lakers, Adler Manheim and KalPa Kuopio. Every team states the intention of advancing to the next round, so it should be quite a battle.
Staff Writers
What do you think of the group you've been drawn into?
Patrik Martinec (sports manager, Sparta Prague): "I could imagine more acceptable opponents considering distances and traveling, but it is what it is. We believe it will be a great competition for us and we’ll do our best to advance."
Henrik Evertsson (general manager, Växjö Lakers): "I think we have a really interesting group with good teams and good cities, so we're very happy. Sparta Prague is a real powerhouse team; I would say that they are the best and toughest competitor in that group."
Teal Fowler (sports manager, Adler Mannheim): "We’re really happy with the draw. Obviously there's not an easy team in our group and there will be no easy way to the round of 16. We’re happy to play against Sparta Prague. We’ve already played them a couple of times and our fans know them. And then we go to Finland and Sweden. It will bring a different type of hockey to Mannheim."
Sami Kapanen (chairman, KalPa Kuopio): "We are really satisfied with teams we have. Its going to be a tough group. I haven't looked at the rosters of some of our competitors, but I think all teams are going to be tough. Some teams might play better at home than away. We just have to wait and see. We have some time to prepare and be on the top of our game and that's the only thing we can worry about."
Which team in your group do you think is the strongest?
Martinec (SPA): "I think all the teams in our group will be more or less equal and any one of us can advance. There is no clear favourite or outsider."
Evertsson (VÄX): "Sparta Prague is a real powerhouse team; I would say that they are the best and toughest competitor in that group."
Fowler (MAN): "I think Sparta is going to play well, they have generally a good mix of young and experienced guys. It’s a very difficult opponent to play. And with the Finns and Swedes, we really don’t know much about them. But I know their league is very strong and we'll just try to do our best."
Kapanen (KAL): "Obviously, some teams are stronger than others, but in our case, we want to play good and have a success."
What does competing in the Champions Hockey League mean to your club?
Evertsson (VÄX): "To be able to show off Sparta Prague to our fans. They have Karel Pilař, who played for us, so there are couple of well known faces and Sparta is one of the teams we definitely wanted in our group."
Fowler (MAN): "We’re looking forward to an adventure and to a different type of product for our fans. We’re playing the same teams every year and our fans are looking forward to seeing someone different. The CHL will give them a good variation and a good opportunity. I remember we had over 10 000 fans to the game against Zug last October. It was very impressive. We played international games in Mannheim during the year and it went well. So it seems to be a good draw for our fans."
Kapanen (KAL): "I think it will be interesting for the fans. Its exciting to bring teams to Kuopio that you don't usually see. After playing so many years in the Finnish league, we can offer something new and fresh, I think fans should be excited and i hope they will respond well by coming to our games."
How far do you expect your team to advance in the competition?
Martinec (SPA): "Our goal is the same for every game – to win. We won’t be changing that for the CHL and we’ll see what happens in reality."
Evertsson (VÄX): "Obviously, our target is to move on to the playoffs. To guarantee that, we have to win the group, so we are looking to achieve that. I think that coming from Sweden, we consider our league to be one of the strongest in Europe, so we definitely want to go as far in the playoffs as possible. You know, once you are in the playoffs, you can see who else is there and how tough the competition is, but we are always looking to win every game."
Fowler (MAN): "We’d like to take step by step. For us it will be one game at a time, but our first immediate goal is to qualify for the next round."
Kapanen (KAL): "I think everybody wants to move on. We know its a big challenge for any of these 44 teams this year, but thats the way it is. The competition is stiff, but we want to be one of the top teams."
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