Excitement grows for season of change

Aug 24 2007 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

VIPERS coach Rob Wilson has admitted his excitement after completing his line-up for the new Elite League season.

The Newcastle-based club will have a completely new feel this season with only one of last season’s ten imports – Andre Payette – back on Tyneside for 2007-08, a new captain and no Wilson on the ice for the first time since 2002.

The last of the club’s summer recruits, Czech defenceman Petr Kratky, was unveiled yesterday and although the Canadian coach conceded he had to show patience over the last couple of months, he believes the results will prove worth it. “All the players are in this weekend and I’m really excited about this season,” he said.

“Of course you start every season hoping to win a trophy but we’ll have to wait and see how everything pans out. I’m really excited though.

“We had to be really patient this summer but we knew we would. I managed to get what we needed in the end so I’m quite happy.”

Kratky spent last season in France with HC Briancon. The 31-year-old has also played for Litvinov in his homeland, Slovakian sides Zvolen HKm and Skalica HK, Ufa Salavat Yulayev of Russia, Italians Ritten Renon and Dutch side Heerenveen Flyers.

“I think he’s going to be able to bring a lot,” said Wilson, who announced his expected retirement from playing this week. “He’s got a real hard shot.

“I spoke to one of our former players, Matus Petricko, about him and his exact words were, ‘I won’t be happy if you sign him’.

“Even from the back we’re going to be offensive this season. It’s going to be a different approach for us but I still like a team that’s physical and we’ll definitely be that.”

Wilson has been chasing the Czech for around two months and admitted he thought the deal had collapsed three weeks ago. But Kratky cited the growing reputation of both his new club and the Elite League as the reasons for his decision.

“I am looking forward to playing in Newcastle,” he said. “I have spoken with players who have played in the country and they speak highly of the league. Coach Wilson has told me the kind of hockey he wants to play, and I can’t wait to get started.”

With long-serving Great Britain skipper Jonathan Weaver and co-director Paul Ferone heading the list of departures and Pavel Gomenyuk, Ben Storey, Mark Gouett, Ryan McDonald, Aleksandr Shevchenko, Sergiy Rublivsky, Colin Shields and Jeff Hutchins all coming the other way, it seems certain to be a season of transition for the Vipers.

With that in mind Wilson knows his side will need patience but expects the result to be a more attractive and forward-thinking outfit. “Our fans probably realise it will take a couple of weeks for our guys to get together,” he acknowledged. “It will be more or less the end of September before everything starts to click, I would think.

“If you look at it we have one returning import from ten, with four new imports in defence. It’s going to be a very, very exciting time.

“We’ve changed the whole club. We’ve kept a couple of guys who’ve been loyal to us but we’ve also brought excitement and offence to the team. It’s going to be a completely different outfit with a totally different feel to it but I felt it was time.

The Vipers’ campaign opens at Hull Stingrays on September 8.