Former Czech national team and NHL player Vaclav Varada will coach the Czech U20 national team at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship.
photo: Steve Kingsman / HHOF-IIHF Images
The Czech Ice Hockey Association board has today approved the head coaches of various junior national teams.
A two-time world champion as a player with ten seasons in the NHL, Vaclav Varada was named head coach of the U20 national team. The 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship in Canada will be his first big event and a return for him to the World Juniors 23 years after being the top goal scorer of the 1996 edition.
The 41-year-old had a smooth transition to coaching when he acted as player-coach of HC Trinec in 2013/14. In 2014 he ended his career as a player and fully focused on coaching both with Trinec and in the Czech Ice Hockey Association. In 2016 he took over the class of 1999 and coached the team at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship. He continued this year with the U19 national team and will know most of the player in next season’s U20 selections.
Varada will continue his duties as head coach of Ocelari Trinec in the Czech Extraliga.
The Czechs will play in Group A in Vancouver with host Canada, Russia, Switzerland and Denmark.
David Bruk, who has been with the U18 national team this year, will continue with the class of 2000 and take over the U19 national team next season.
Veteran coach Alois Hadamczik will be back in the program and take over the U18 national team. The 65-year-old coached the men’s national team at six World Championships and two Olympic Winter Games between 2006 and 2014. Before that he was also the U20 national team coach for two years.
After resigning from his post following the 2014 Olympics, Hadamczik hasn’t been active as head coach but a few months during the 2015/2016 season with Kometa Brno. At the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in Ornskoldsvik and Umea, Sweden, he will stage his comeback as a coach at an IIHF tournament.
Karel Beran will coach the U17 and Petr Haken the U16 national team next season.
“Vaclav Varada represents a new generation of coaches, which is increasingly taking over not only in youth but also senior hockey,” said Tomas Kral, President of the Czech Ice Hockey Association.
“We believe he will build on his success he has had with his previous teams, especially the victory at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial and the medal at the World Junior A Challenge in Canada. On the other hand Alois Hadamczik represents coaching experience. In the past he has also been successful in junior hockey brining home a bronze medal from the 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship.”
A two-time world champion as a player with ten seasons in the NHL, Vaclav Varada was named head coach of the U20 national team. The 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship in Canada will be his first big event and a return for him to the World Juniors 23 years after being the top goal scorer of the 1996 edition.
The 41-year-old had a smooth transition to coaching when he acted as player-coach of HC Trinec in 2013/14. In 2014 he ended his career as a player and fully focused on coaching both with Trinec and in the Czech Ice Hockey Association. In 2016 he took over the class of 1999 and coached the team at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship. He continued this year with the U19 national team and will know most of the player in next season’s U20 selections.
Varada will continue his duties as head coach of Ocelari Trinec in the Czech Extraliga.
The Czechs will play in Group A in Vancouver with host Canada, Russia, Switzerland and Denmark.
David Bruk, who has been with the U18 national team this year, will continue with the class of 2000 and take over the U19 national team next season.
Veteran coach Alois Hadamczik will be back in the program and take over the U18 national team. The 65-year-old coached the men’s national team at six World Championships and two Olympic Winter Games between 2006 and 2014. Before that he was also the U20 national team coach for two years.
After resigning from his post following the 2014 Olympics, Hadamczik hasn’t been active as head coach but a few months during the 2015/2016 season with Kometa Brno. At the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in Ornskoldsvik and Umea, Sweden, he will stage his comeback as a coach at an IIHF tournament.
Karel Beran will coach the U17 and Petr Haken the U16 national team next season.
“Vaclav Varada represents a new generation of coaches, which is increasingly taking over not only in youth but also senior hockey,” said Tomas Kral, President of the Czech Ice Hockey Association.
“We believe he will build on his success he has had with his previous teams, especially the victory at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial and the medal at the World Junior A Challenge in Canada. On the other hand Alois Hadamczik represents coaching experience. In the past he has also been successful in junior hockey brining home a bronze medal from the 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship.”