Matrej Stransky spielt nur noch diese Saison beim HCD.Bild: keystone
Eismeister Zaugg
League-leading scorer and top goalscorer Matej Stransky, 32, will return to his native Czech Republic at the complete of this season due to family reasons, despite having a contract that extends through the end of next season.
09.03.2026, 14:5709.03.2026, 14:57
HC Davos General Manager Marc Gianola confirmed a corresponding report from NZZ. While Matej Stransky is still under contract with HCD through the end of next season, “we will find a solution.” He expressed understanding for his captain, noting that his family has been living in the Czech Republic for the past year and a half.
Pardubice won’t get the league’s top scorer for free. Gianola is pragmatic about the situation: “Valid contracts are usually terminated by paying a transfer fee…”. He anticipates reaching an agreement, one that favors Davos: a transfer is not possible without release. While money can’t replace Matej Stransky, it can help with acquiring a latest import player.
It’s not uncommon for players to return home prematurely later in their careers. In the summer of 2024, Roman Cervenka – also a team captain at the time – left the Lakers a year before his contract expired and returned to the Czech Republic. The hockey world didn’t end. The Lakers are currently enjoying a strong season, sitting seventh in the standings and ahead of Zug. Players arrive and move, but clubs endure.
Despite the departure, HC Davos, with Matej Stransky in the lineup, is a different team than it will be without him. The chance for their first title since the “Arno Del Curto era” (2015) feels closer than ever. The league is undergoing a shift, with all the top teams facing their own challenges.
2015 gewann der HC Davos letztmals einen Meistertitel.Bild: KEYSTONE
The ZSC Lions carry the weight of two championships and a Champions League title. SC Bern is searching for its identity at the bottom of the table, and struggling to find it. Zug is quickly becoming the SC Bern of Central Switzerland. Gottéron has never won a championship. Lausanne has fallen short in the final twice. Lugano is on its way back to the top, but isn’t there yet, and Servette may be too reliant on its foreign players.
This season, HC Davos is running like a well-oiled machine, and their first qualification win since 2011 is a logical result. The timing is right: Arno Del Curto first won the Spengler Cup twice (2000, 2001) and then the championship (2002). Josh Holden has already secured the Spengler Cup twice (2023, 2025). Now is the time for a championship celebration.
The naturalized Canadian is a key figure in Davos’s resurgence. By qualifying for the semi-finals last spring (4-0 in the quarter-finals against Zug), his contract was automatically extended for another year through 2028.
Josh Holden wird wohl mindestens bis 2028 in Davos bleiben.Bild: keystone
While Marc Gianola understands the early contract termination with Matej Stransky after five years with HCD, he’s unlikely to be receptive to any premature attempts to lure away Josh Holden, who has been HCD’s head coach since 2023. Zug’s management and sports director – currently Patrick Lengwiler and Reto Kläy – will have to wait at least until the spring of 2028.
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