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Jáchym Kondelík? České Budějovice’s communications director Tomáš Kučera will first refer to his statement on the club’s website: “You probably won’t get more from me.”
So let’s start officially first: “He has a valid contract at Motor for the next season and we have not received any offer to buy him out of the contract. On the contrary, a fortnight ago Motor offered Jáchym a new improved contract for the following four seasons, the club fulfilled all the conditions that Jáchym’s agents demanded. This would be the highest and longest contract in the history of modern Motor. Jáchym has not yet signed this draft contract.”
The club’s press release already shows how the 24-year-old forward is having a breakthrough season. And it still doesn’t end. The climax is coming. Kondelík is one of the most surprising choices of national coach Radim Rulík for the home World Cup, which the Czech team will enter on Friday (20.20) against Finland.
He is a newcomer to the national team, although he played in the world championship in the 18 and 20 years. However, he did not go to meetings even during the year. He made it all the way to the camp before the expected tournament. He managed five games, recorded four Canadian points for a goal and three assists and broke three sticks.
Overview of tickets to the World Cup that can still be obtained
The hockey championship in Prague and Ostrava starts on Friday. The matches between the Czechs and Slovaks are hopelessly sold out, even the possible Czech quarterfinals. However, tickets are still available for other matches of the basic groups or play-offs.
“I still have four new ones, maybe it will last one or two matches, or as long as I stay here,” he described for national television.
He surprised even himself. While forwards from the NHL Nosek or Vrána did not make it to Rulík’s list of chosen ones, the South Bohemian champ is looking forward to the event of a lifetime. “This is absolutely fantastic,” beams Kučera. “I was a little surprised. Czech hockey has a lot of great players, and the fact that a boy from Motor has penetrated there is a blast.”
Already after the warm-up match against Austria at home in České Budějovice, Kondelík gushed: “A dream come true. I gave out 23 tickets, the guys gave me theirs, then I was too stupid to ask for more. I thank them.’
You won’t miss him
So once again. Jáchym Kondelík. What do you know about him if you are not a regular viewer of the Czech extra league?
You won’t miss him. He swung an inch over two meters.
“But if you’re two meters and one hundred kilos, that’s a normal weight. He’s not a colossus, he’s mobile enough,” points out Kučera, who is also a sports historian and a member of the draft committee of the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame. “When such a tall player manages to get moving, whether it was Koller in football or Chara in hockey, he has a huge advantage. Centimeters always help him.”
Who unexpectedly missed the nomination
While Jáchym Kondelík can look forward to the World Cup in the Czech Republic, many better-known names have to miss the big hockey holiday. For example, the fans are dealing with the fact that NHL forwards Jakub Vrána and Tomáš Nosek dropped out of coach Radim Rulík’s selection. At the same time, the best scorer of the extra league, Jakub Rychlovský, or the gifted back Jiří Ticháček are not even nominated.
This applies mainly when covering the disc on both sides of the rink. Kučera enjoys watching how hard the opponents try to take a long turn for the toy. “I really like how nobody can get to him for the puck. He steps back from the guardrail, stretches out his incredibly long legs, arms. It reminds me of the movies with Bud Spencer holding his opponent’s head with his hand and he’s trying to swing his fists,” he smiles. “He’s atypical, and that’s a big plus.”
His style of play reminds Kučer of another famous Motor protege, Martin Hanzal, also a lanky center who made his mark in the NHL before back problems ended his career. Kondelík also had similar troubles.
He was born in Germany, grew up in the Czech Republic, grew up in the USA
On the ice, he is helped not only by his large size, but also by a healthy self-confidence and goal-oriented nature cut by several nations. He was born in Germany, grew up in the Czech Republic, grew up in the USA. He was born in Hanover, where his father Roman Kondelík was fishing. By the way, my son was also very tempted to go to the hockey goal, but dad literally drove him out of it. “His dad played for Motor, he was a well-respected goalkeeper in Germany. If the goalkeeper was after him, I don’t know with two meters where the shots could go. But he also made it quite far in the attack,” Kučera points out.
When Kondelík Sr. ended his career, he returned to České Budějovice, where the boy went through the youth teams. He went overseas at the age of sixteen. Alone. School of Life.
See how Prague and Ostrava are preparing for the upcoming championship:
Photo: Michal Šula, Seznam Zpravy
He spent the first two seasons with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL junior competition. At the University of Connecticut, he played in the NCAA and studied communications, but after being drafted by Nashville as the 111th pick, he did not graduate, something that still haunts him and he intends to rectify. He also regrets that the famous NHL has not yet come out. He did not add another season on the farm in Milwaukee, and last October he preferred to return to the south of Bohemia, where he was welcomed with open arms. He didn’t take it as a step back.
“He trained with us in the summer back in the first league before he flew to America. The management was in contact with him, we are interested in every pupil who returns from overseas. We are a regional club and we are based in the heart of South Bohemia. It was a good move both for him and for us,” says Kučera.
Kondelík quickly won the favor of the audience. The study of communication also benefited from this. “He cares a lot about the fans. He has an overseas school, he does not refuse events with supporters or interviews,” acknowledges Kučera. “You can be a fighter from wherever you want, but if you’re weaned from Vltava and Malší, they just automatically love you here.”
WC in hockey 2024
What is the complete program of the tournament and when do the Czechs play?
He did not close the battle for the NHL, the restart of his career is going beyond expectations at home. He scored 37 Canadian points (11+26) in 41 games of the regular season, ten (4+6) in ten playoff games. In the elite wake, he made do with the experienced gunner Milan Gulaš. “The first thing on my mind is the record,” he says.
“Milan Gulaš needs his service from the center, he can’t play with everyone and it suited him with Jáchym. He is still a young boy, not everyone can take on the role of a leader at this age, hats off,” Kučera laughs.
With Motor, Kondelík was one match away from eliminating the Třinec champions in the quarterfinals. He bit it hard, but the representative invitation appears to be an increasingly strong patch for hockey scars on body and soul. In the national trick, he will try to leave a similarly strong mark on the championship like the famous South Bohemians Václav Prospal, Radek Dvořák or Roman Turek, even though he was a goalkeeper. Jáchym put down the trap under the pressure of his father and did not do wrong.
Ice Bearers
- Author: Tomáš Kučera
- Editor: Pavel Vondra
- Music: Martin Hůla
- Sound design: David Kaiser
Podcast series Seznam Zpráv, in which Tomáš Kučera describes the most interesting moments of our rich hockey history and interviews those who were personally present at the greatest successes.
Every Thursday – from 21 March – to be listened to as a bonus episode of the related podcast Nosiči vody on Podcasty.cz, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast applications.
Photo: ČTK, Getty Images, Seznam Zpravy
Ice Bearers
