It takes a full team effort to make it to the final of any tournament, and that’s no different in the 2019/20 Champions Hockey League.
As Mountfield HK of the Czech Republic prepare for their first CHL final against the three-time champion, and reigning champion the Frölunda Indians, it’s easy to remember the big players who’ve helped each time get to this point like goalie Marek Mazanec for Mountfield, and Ryan Lasch of Frölunda, but there have been some great performances up and down the rosters for both of these teams.
Richard Nedomlel
A lot has been said about the defensive efforts of Mountfield HK since the playoffs began, and rightfully so. Goalie Marek Mazanec has been near on impossible to beat as of late, and that’s really helped the team get to their first final. But he’s not the only one who’s been impressing lately.
Defenseman Richard Nedomlel has been a huge part of the success his side have had defensively heading into the final. With plenty of trust from his coach in his own end, only Tom Wandell of Djurgården Stockholm has started more times in the defensive zone, and with his big frame, he’s an imposing figure for opposition forwards to have to try and get behind. In his second season with Mountfield, the 26-year-old is continuing to improve, and with three-points on the campaign in the CHL so far, including a goal in the teams 3-0 victory over Djurgården in the second leg of the Semi-Final, Nedomlel will be a big part of the teams defensive game as they look to be crowned CHL champions.
Theodor Lennström
They say that defense wins championships, and if that’s the case then it should be another big game for Frölunda defenseman Theodor Lennström. The 25-year-old Swede moved from Färjestad Karlstad to join Frölunda for this season, and his first year for the reigning CHL champions has been impressive both domestically and in European action.
With five-points in 11 CHL games, he has the second most points by a defenseman on the team, trailing only to Anders Grönlund, but it’s not just his two-way ability that has helped him offensively produce that has been impressive about him this season.
He’s among the tournament leaders in shots blocked, taking 16 pucks to the body to help out his goalie, while averaging around 16:52 minutes of ice time per game, handling himself in all situations.