HKM Zvolen

Hokejový Klub HKM a.s. Zvolen is a professional Slovak ice hockey club based in Zvolen. The club has won the Slovak league championship three times (2001, 2013, 2021) and the IIHF Continental Cup in 2005. The team is nicknamed Rytieri; it means Knights in English.

Previous names

 * ZTK Zvolen (1927 – 1964)
 * LB Zvolen (1964 – 1983)
 * ZTK Zvolen (1983 – 1993)
 * HK Hell Zvolen (1994)
 * HKm Zvolen (1995 – 2005)
 * HKM a.s. Zvolen (since 2006)

Early history
The club was founded on 18 March 1927 as ZTC Zvolen. However, they played their first official game in 1932 against Slávia Banská Bystrica. They lost 0–18 in the first game and 1–20 in the second game against Slávia. Zvolen played their first home game on 14 February 1932. They lost 0–2 against Slávia. In the 1933–34 season they played for the first time in organized competition, the Championship of Stredoslovenská župa. In the next season they won their first official game against Sokol Kremnica. Hockey in Zvolen was even played during World War II. After WW II they had very successful years between 1947 and 1953. Then there was a decline.

Czechoslovak era
Renewal of hockey in Zvolen started in 1964, when the Lokomotíva Bučina Zvolen club was established. In 1970 they promoted to the 1. SNHL (1st. Slovak National Hockey League), second level of Czechoslovak hockey. They placed 6th in their first season at the 1. SNHL. In the 1971–72 season they finished 3rd and in the next season they won the 1. SNHL. The club's scoring leader was Jozef Golonka. Zvolen qualified for the preliminary round of the Czechoslovak Extraliga. There they lost 7 of 8 games and were not promoted to the Extraliga. Zvolen won the 1. SNHL again in the 1974–75 season. Zvolen forward Ján Letko was the top scorer of the 1. SNHL (48 goals). However, they lost in the preliminary round against Ingstav Brno and were not promoted to the Extraliga. In the 1975–76 season they repeated victory in the 1. SNHL. In the preliminary round they lost a series 3–4 against TJ Gottwaldov. Their fourth and last victory of the 1. SNHL came in the 1977–78 season, but in the preliminary round they lost a series 2–4 against TJ Gottwaldov. Thus Zvolen never played in the Czechoslovak Extraliga, the top level of Czechoslovak hockey.

Slovak era
Zvolen was a member of the inaugural season of the Slovak Extraliga, but they finished last and were relegated to the Slovak 1.Liga. Zvolen won the 1996–97 Slovak 1.Liga season and promoted to the Extraliga after 3 years. In the 1997–98 season they placed fifth in the regular season and were eliminated by Dukla Trenčín in the quarterfinals. In the next season they progressed to the semifinals, beating Trenčín in the quarterfinals, but were defeated by Slovan Bratislava. Zvolen played in the playoffs finals for the first time in club history in the 1999–00 season. There they lost 2–3 against Slovan. The most successful season in the club history was the 2000–01 season. Zvolen finished first in the regular season, defeated 3–0 MHC Martin in the quarterfinals, 3–0 HK Poprad in the semifinals, 3–1 Dukla Trenčín in the finals and won their first Slovak Extraliga title ever. Ján Plch (79 pts), Richard Šechný (70 pts) and Petr Vlk (64 pts) were the top three scoring leaders of the Extraliga regular season. Šechný (19 pts) was also a scoring leader in the playoffs. Since 2001 Zvolen was playoffs finalist four times but won the title only once more in the 2012–13 season.

Continental Cup
Besides their triumph at the Slovak championship in 2001, Zvolen is a winner of the IIHF Continental Cup. In the 8th edition of the cup in 2005 they played in the final stage against HC Dynamo Moscow, Alba Volán Székesfehérvár and the Milano Vipers. Zvolen won all three games and became the third Slovak winner after HC Košice and HC Slovan Bratislava.

Domestic
Slovak Extraliga
 * Winners (3): 2000–01, 2012–13, 2020–21
 * Runners-up (5): 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2022–23
 * 3rd place (3): 2002–03, 2018–19, 2021–22

Slovak 1. Liga
 * Winners (1): 1996–97
 * Runners-up (2): 1994–95, 1995–96

1st. Slovak National Hockey League
 * Winners (4): 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78
 * Runners-up (3): 1973–74, 1976–77, 1980–81
 * 3rd place (1): 1971–72

International
IIHF Continental Cup
 * Winners (1): 2004–05
 * 3rd place (1): 2001–02

Pre-season
Rona Cup
 * Winners (2): 2001, 2008

Sponsorship
HKM Zvolen has a list of sponsors such as Urpiner, Doprastav, OS Zvolen, COOP Jednote Krupina, ZOS Loko, INMEDIA, KOŠÚT Plus, BDI, Almik, Geis, Vezopax, J&K Invest Group, Betamont, Retech and Instaforex.

Notable coaches

 * Pavel Zábojník
 * Ernest Bokroš
 * František Hossa
 * Ladislav Svozil
 * Peter Mikula
 * Július Šupler
 * Peter Oremus

Notable players

 * Jozef Golonka
 * Ján Letko
 * Ján Podkonický
 * Bohumil Trávník
 * Roman Čunderlík
 * Miroslav Žabka
 * Róbert Pukalovič
 * Miroslav Michalek
 * Dušan Pohorelec
 * Ladislav Čierny
 * Jozef Čierny
 * Ján Lašák
 * Ján Laco
 * Vlastimil Plavucha
 * Richard Šechný
 * Jaroslav Török
 * Michal Handzuš
 * Vladimír Országh
 * Richard Zedník
 * Martin Bartek
 * Peter Pucher
 * Tomáš Tatar
 * Martin Trochta
 * Marek Ďaloga
 * Andrej Podkonický
 * Lukáš Jurík
 * Kamil Brabenec
 * Martin Bartek
 * Peter Pucher

Championship winner teams
Coaches: Ernest Bokroš, Peter Mikula,
 * 2000/2001

Goalies: Rastislav Rovnianek, Peter Ševela,

Defenders: Róbert Pukalovič, Rastislav Štork, Peter Klepáč, Dušan Milo, Roman Čech, Pavel Kowalczyk, Pavel Augusta, Milota Florián, Vladimír Konôpka, Martin Mráz

Forwards: Dušan Pohorelec, Richard Šechný, Andrej Rajčák, Ján Plch, Petr Vlk, Jaroslav Török, Jozef Čierny, Michal Longauer, Peter Konder, Igor Majeský, Rostislav Vlach, Kamil Mahdalík, Ladislav Paciga, Ondřej Kavulič, Gabriel Špilár, Roman Macoszek Coaches: Peter Mikula, Jaroslav Török
 * 2012/2013

Goalies: Marek Šimko, Igor Cibuľa, Lukáš Škrečko

Defenders: Ján Mucha, Michal Pihnarčík, Michal Juraško, Martin Výborný, Jaroslav Hertl, Peter Novajovský, Peter Hraško, Lubor Pokovič, Ladislav Čierny, Ján Ťavoda, Zdenko Tóth

Forwards:Michal Chovan, Jaroslav Kalla, Peter Zuzin, Lukáš Jurík, Kamil Brabenec, Kamil Mahdalík, Milan Jurík, Radovan Puliš, Andrej Podkonický, Tomáš Škvaridlo, Jaroslav Kalla, Marek Čurilla, Ľubor Zuzin, Patrik Huňady, Martin Ďaloga, Matej Síkela, Milan Čanky, Coaches: Peter Oremus, Andrek Kmeč, Andrej Podkonický
 * 2020/2021

Goalies: Robin Rahm, Adam Trenčan

Defenders: Jakub Meliško, Michal Ivan, Oldřich Kotvan, František Gajdoš, Peter Hraško, Ben Betker, Andrej Hatala, T.J. Melancon, Marek Daloga, Branislav Kubka, Tomás Nociar, Jakub Debnár

Forwards: Marco Halama, Marek Viedenský, Peter Zuzin, Juraj Mikúš, Maroš Jedlička, Allan McPherson, Adam Helewka, Radovan Puliš, Patrik Marcinek, Jozef Tibenský, Jakub Čunderlík, Mikko Nuutinen, Ján Chlepčok, Dalibor Ďuriš, Jakub Kolenič, Nikolas Gubančok, Miloš Kelemen, Miloš Kelemen, Radovan Bondra, Marko Brumerčík, Václav Stupka, Adrián Daniš