HC Lev Poprad


Hockey Club Lev Poprad, was a professional ice hockey team and a former member of the Kontinental Hockey League based in Poprad, Slovakia. The Lev existed for only one year, playing in the 2011–12 KHL season.

History

The team was originally called HC Lev Hradec Kralove and was based in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. It had been intended to join the KHL for the 2010–11 season, for which it fulfilled all necessary conditions except that the Czech Ice Hockey Association refused to give permission to the club. Because of that, Lev's management decided to move the club to Slovakia, whereupon it has been accepted by the KHL's administration to participate in the league in the 2010–11 season. However, later the KHL excluded the team from the league for the 2010–11 season because the team was not part of any national ice hockey governing body.
After further efforts, including joining the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation, Lev Poprad was officially admitted to the KHL in May 2011. During the 2011–12 season, they played in the Bobrov division of the KHL, while HK Poprad continued playing their Slovak Extraliga matches in the same arena.

2011–12 season

Almost two months after being officially admitted to the KHL, Lev announced the signings of the first five players on 30 June 2011. In the final roster, the majority of the players were from Slovakia and Czech Republic. Head coach was Radim Rulík and the team captain was Ľuboš Bartečko. Lev's regular season was planned to start on 10 September 2011 with a match at home against Avangard Omsk, but because of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, the start of the season was postponed and Lev had their first game on 12 September against Metallurg Magnitogorsk. However, for their first win they had to wait until the sixth game, a 2–0 away win against Dinamo Riga on 26 September. Lev also failed to qualify for the play-offs and ended the season as 21st overall, with 54 points from 54 games. The team's top scorer was Ľuboš Bartečko with 30 points.

New team in Prague

Late in the 2011–12 season, a change of owners renewed speculation about a move to Prague, Czech Republic. In March 2012, the Czech Ice Hockey Association granted permission for a KHL team to play in the Czech Republic, and at the end of April, a newly found team with the same name, HC Lev, but as a different organization, officially applied to the KHL to play in Prague. The Poprad-based HC Lev was disbanded after only one season.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, OTW = Overtime Wins, SOW = Penalty Shootout Wins, SOL = Penalty Shootout Losses, L = Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points
SeasonGPWOTWSOWSOLOTLLGFGAPtsFinishPlayoffs
2011–125413035429125162546th, BobrovDid not qualify

Franchise history

Milestones

EventDateDetails
First KHL match 12 September 20112–4 loss vs Metallurg Magnitogorsk
First KHL point21 September 20113–4 SO loss at Atlant Moscow Oblast
First KHL win26 September 20112–0 win at Dinamo Riga
First KHL shutout26 September 20112–0 win at Dinamo Riga
First KHL win at home30 September 20114–1 win vs Dynamo Moscow

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in KHL franchise history.
''Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game
PlayerPosGPGAPtsP/G
Ľuboš BartečkoLW5316 14 300.57
Tomáš NetíkLW4217 11 280.67
Juraj MikúšC4412 16 280.64
Václav NedorostLW3714 8 220.59
Ladislav NagyLW30712 190.63
Rastislav ŠpirkoLW53 10 8 180.34
Karel PilařD31116170.55
Jaroslav KristekRW39 10 6 160.41
Emil LundbergC54 10 6 160.30
Branislav MezeiLW53 3 11 14 0.26

PlayerPosG
Tomáš NetíkLW17
Ľuboš BartečkoLW16
Václav NedorostLW14
Juraj MikúšC12
Rastislav ŠpirkoLW10
Jaroslav KristekRW10
Emil LundbergC10
Ladislav NagyLW7
Stepan NovotnyRW5
Martin ChabadaRW4

PlayerPosA
Juraj MikúšC16
Karel PilařD16
Ľuboš BartečkoLW14
Ladislav NagyLW12
Tomáš NetíkLW11
Branislav MezeiD11
Jiří HunkesD10
Václav NedorostLW8
Rastislav ŠpirkoRW8
Jiří SekáčC8

Tatranski Vlci

Affiliated with Lev Poprad were the Tatranski Vlci, a junior team playing in the Northwest division of the Junior Hockey League. The team consisted of Czech and Slovak players born 1990 or later. They played their home games in nearby Spišská Nová Ves. Just as HC Lev, the Vlci were also disbanded after only one season.