Karlovy Vary: New Czech Hockey Hotspot & Jiří Černoch’s Rise

The city, known for its spas, is now developing top youth hockey players. The Karlovy Vary Energy junior team currently leads its league, and the men’s team is competing in the preliminary rounds of the top domestic competition.

What’s particularly notable is the team’s youth. With an average age under 25, the Karlovy Vary Energy is built on character and homegrown talent. This focus on developing young players is yielding results, with several athletes attracting attention from NHL teams.

Jiří Kulich, Vojtěch Čihař, and Petr Tomek are among the rising stars. Kulich currently plays for Buffalo and was sorely missed by the Czech team at the Olympics. Čihař was named the top player at the recent World Junior Championship and is a prospect for the Los Angeles Kings.

Seventeen-year-traditional Petr Tomek is already playing regularly with the men’s team, having played the entire regular season and scoring 13 goals. The team’s youthful roster as well includes Matteo Kočí and David Moravec, further demonstrating a commitment to developing young talent.

However, every successful team needs leadership. In Karlovy Vary, that role is filled by captain Jiří Černoch. He sets the standard for perform ethic and character, qualities the team prioritizes.

Černoch’s journey to Karlovy Vary wasn’t straightforward. After not being offered a place in Sparta Prague, he saw it as an opportunity to prove himself. He was given three days to demonstrate his value.

“To be honest, I’m not really a training type. I look better in a game when it’s all-out. But the initial training sessions in Karlovy Vary felt like a game to me.

A game for my hockey future. I knew this was my last chance. If this didn’t work out, it would be really hard to convince anyone else. No, I had to create this work. Since I’d already stepped so far outside my comfort zone, I could do it.

I’d do what they wanted. I’d even go to Sokolov. I’d present them I’m an Extraliga player.”

He delivered. He played in the lower league in Sokolov to demonstrate his dedication, sacrifice, and skill. He ultimately earned a chance in Karlovy Vary, proving himself both on and off the ice.

Černoch leads by example. He embodies the values he expects from his teammates, consistently demonstrating a strong work ethic and commitment. This approach has earned him respect in the locker room and on the ice.

“If I’ve been lucky, it’s been with the guys who were ‘old’ when I was starting out. Anyone I meet today, I feel the need to thank them for how they treated me.

Jaroslav Hlinka was great. Lukáš Pech and Petr Kumstát were like peers. But they were all great hockey players. And Michal Barinka treated me like a son, constantly explaining things to me without being condescending, trying to pass on his experience.

I tried to capture something from each of them, something to incorporate into my game or behavior.

What I really disliked was when someone said something in the locker room but didn’t do it on the ice. That’s why, when I inform the guys now that we’re going to block shots, I make sure I’m the first one to jump in front of one. There are situations where you’re beat up, the game is long decided, but you still have to do it. Because the young guys are watching. And you hope they think, ‘If he can block a shot like that, I have to do it too.’

Blocking shots is something easy for fans to understand, but there are a lot of other details during a game. You see who’s trying harder and who’s not.”

Černoch is a practical professor, not a dull theorist. He demonstrates everything he expects from others, night after night, in wins and losses. He’s fully invested, because he wants to play, have a team he can rely on, and help develop the next generation of players.

And he has earned their trust.

Finnish coach Kari Jalonen recognized Černoch’s dedication during his time with the national team. Initially deemed unnecessary by Sparta Prague, Jalonen appreciated his passion and brought him to the World Championship.

There, Černoch continued to learn from players like David Krejčí and Roman Červenka, gaining valuable experience that he could later pass on to others. In 2022, he was part of the Czech team that won its first medal at the championship in a decade.

As Černoch’s experience has grown, so has the Karlovy Vary organization. The core of the team includes goaltender Dominik Frodl and Ondřej Beránek, a scorer from the Czech Republic’s championship team. Olympic gold medalist Pavel Patera is also on the coaching staff.

Karlovy Vary has become a supplier not of semi-finished products, but of almost-ready players for the NHL.

Černoch shared his insights in a recent interview with Bez Frází.

“It’s not a given that Karlovy Vary has had the luxury of pulling exceptional kids out of its youth system for several years in a row. The club has the perfect infrastructure you need for talent to grow, but it’s interesting that Kulda, Čihy, and now Pegas Tomek all grew up under different coaches.

That shows me that the symbiosis of youth and experience we’ve created in the locker room is also important for their development.

We’ve completely eliminated the division by age. When we sit in our living room in the locker room or in the sauna and chat, anyone can join. There’s no single barrier that should separate any teammate from another, no matter how old they are.

Of course, the younger guys have to clean the locker room, bring the bags, pick up the pucks, and tidy up the bus. I think that’s right and it maintains some hierarchy. But if a young Pegas or Kočus Kočí wants to go for coffee with us? He’s welcome. Or, heaven forbid, if someone complains that Pegas shouldn’t be playing on the power play because he’s seventeen.

He’s capable. He is. So let him play. And I’ll support him in it, let him take some risks.

It’s great that our coaches see it the same way. Everyone I’ve experienced here, including Pavel Patera and his colleagues, isn’t afraid to grant confidence to anyone, regardless of age. That creates an amazing comfort zone for young players to grow.”

Karlovy Vary recently extended Černoch’s contract through 2029. Still under 30, he has the potential to win many more trophies, and to help many young players launch their careers.

“When I finally hang up my skates and lie on the couch, I want to turn on the NHL and see a kid I helped along the way. I already know that will fill me with pride as much as any team success.

I’ll be proud to have been a part of such an exceptional journey.”

More than 350 authentic stories of sports personalities can be found at www.bezfrazi.cz, many of which can also be listened to in audio version narrated by leading Czech actors.