Jaroslav Bednar: "This season, I'm having one of the best times as a hockey player so far." Photo: HC Davos

Jaroslav Bednar only joined HC Davos at the beginning of this season. In the meantime, he has settled into the team perfectly, has been scoring lots of goals and assists and has become one of the club's leading players.

"I never expected that everything would go so smoothly. Everything is going really well at the moment", says Jaroslav Bednar, who joined Davos from Torpedo Nischni Nowgorod. "I'm currently having one of the best times as a hockey player so far."

Only a Substitute at First

Originally, Bednar's transfer to Davos wasn't even planned. Only because newly signed Peter Sejna was injured and had to undergo surgery, putting him out of the action for several months, did HC Davos start looking for a replacement. And they almost accidentally came across the Czech forward who was without a contract at the time. Davos signed Bednar for one year and he immediately started paying back the trust the club had put into him: Within a short period of time, he became one of their leading players: Bednar has been scoring goals and assists galore and has established himself among the league's top scorers.

A Lot of International Experience

HC Davos is already the eleventh club in Bednar's hockey career. The 34-year old forward has played in the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and the US, where he scored 10 goals in 102 NHL games for the Los Angeles Kings and the Florida Panthers. Now he'll be playing against well-known Czech and Russian clubs at the Spengler Cup: "We're very motivated to play against these great teams and perform well. They are strong, but I hope we'll reach the final and maybe even win the tournament."

A Team of High Quality

"We've had many injured players throughout the season so far, but we're still among the league's top teams. This shows that our team is strong and that we have four excellent lines", says Bednar, who is convinced that HC Davos's team as a whole is of high quality. When you hear him talk about HC Davos, he almost gets enthusiastic: "Our supporters are extraordinary, and they always create a very special atmosphere in the stadium. I really appreciate playing here."