The boys and the coaches were very happy, Putin describes the discovery. What did he say about Slavia and Olomouc? | Hokej.cz

Šumperk was not the favorite in the quarter-final playoff series with Havlíčkový Brod, but still managed to write the first surprise of this year’s Junior League elimination fights. The youngster in the goal, Ondřej Putin, had a huge credit for this, as he allowed only six goals in four matches!

It is not a tradition for a teenager to capture the main part of the season in the junior team, but in Šumperk they found an uncut gem in the form of Ondřej Putin. The masked youngster performed well in the regular season and contributed to the elimination of Havlíček Brod in the playoffs.

In the interview, the only sixteen-year-old goalkeeper talked about the series with the Bruslaři, the prospects for the semi-final with Prague’s Slavia, but also why the season in Olomouc didn’t work out for him.

Ondro, you have a winning streak in the quarterfinals of the Junior League playoffs with Havlíčkový Brod, which you won 3:1 on the legs. How did you perceive the whole first round?
It was a tough series. Havlíčkův Brod didn’t give it to us for free at all, I have to praise the guys for how hard they worked. I’m glad we grabbed it and moved on.

What do you think the series was failing at? The results were close.
Little mistakes mattered. I must say we were very lucky. It was a good series.

Were both close wins in Havlíčková Brod by a goal the key to progress?
All the matches were close, but I thought that Havlíčkobrodský was not enough. If they had more players in the lineup, it could have been different. They did not have a captain in the last game. As I said, if there were more of them, they could have had more power over us and it could have turned out differently. Fortunately, it turned out the way it did.

What was the hardest part of the series for you personally?
(thinks for a moment) In the last game, I didn’t get as many shots as in the previous games. It was hard to keep my concentration and focus on the match so that I had every shot. I didn’t want to score an unnecessary goal that could decide. It was very tight and demanding.

But you never scored the first goal. Is this a lesson for the next phase of the elimination fights against Slavia?
With Slavia, we definitely have to work hard, it would be good to lead, to score the first goal. We have to work on this.

You scored an assist in the last game, but also a minor penalty, after which, paradoxically, your teammates scored. What did you say to that?
I got a little nervous there, it was pointless. We were lucky that it fell to us there. The assistance is the icing on the cake.

There must have been great joy in the dressing room after progressing to the semi-finals, right?
Definitely, definitely. I don’t even know when the playoffs were played here in the near future. I must say that the boys and the coaches were very happy that we succeeded. We don’t want to let the next series go, we want to do the best possible performance.

Slavia Prague awaits you in the semi-finals. What to go with in the series against the biggest aspirant for promotion?
We cannot be frightened by the fact that it is Slavia. Series and matches start 0-0, and it’s only people. I think we can do it if we make do with what we have. I would be happy if we surprise and easily advance.

Slavia went through the quarterfinals without hesitation, moreover, on home ice in the regular season she didn’t lose during normal playing time. Will you want to change this?
If we had won one game away, then we would have played much better at home. At home, we have an excellent boiler that supports us. If we win there, it would be interesting.

What are your personal expectations for the semi-final series?
I don’t want to score unnecessary goals and above all I want to support the team. We would like to have a chance to progress. Little things can’t decide Slavia, we have to get into it one hundred percent.

In the regular season, you lost both matches against Prague. What are the lessons from the head-to-head games ahead of the semi-final series?
I didn’t catch any of the matches so I can’t judge. From what I have seen, they will shoot from every position at the goal. We have to block shots as much as possible, it will cost the defenders. I have to commend them because this hurts. We must not leave them big chances because they transform them.

You mentioned the fact that you didn’t catch a single match. Will the advantage be on your side, by the fact that the opponent does not know you?
It can certainly be an advantage. I watched where and how they were going to shoot. He probably doesn’t know where to shoot at me, maybe from the video… But I believe that the opponent will prepare for it, and it will be who with whom.

During the quarter-final series, did you watch the other couples as well, or did you just focus on yourself?
We focused a lot on the series with Havlíčkový Brod, but we also watched how the others were doing. It was no surprise to us who advanced. We expected it.

If we leave the playoff bubble, you fall into the youth category, but you spent most of the season in the juniors. How did this happen?
I don’t know… Coach Kučera gave me an opportunity in goal and I caught it well. I wanted to fight for the opportunity I got, and luckily I did. I caught more matches in juniors.

Are you catching a category higher, what did you move forward in? After all, it must be a huge change and an extra experience…
It’s faster, I actually play with guys who are three years older. They have faster shots, it’s not like children’s hockey, it’s like men’s hockey. It’s not a teenager, it’s juniors, so you can tell in everything.

In matches, you have a camera behind the goal that captures your work. You certainly discuss mistakes with the coaches, but also correct things during matches. How do you like it?
We have goalkeeper coach Lukáš Velička here, with whom I am extremely satisfied. We have analyses, we also had an analysis on Havlíčkův Brod. We have goalkeeper training sessions where we hone in on every detail. I have to say that it moved me quite a bit with him.

You caught two seasons in Břeclav, then you got to Olomouc, where you caught one match. What happened that you didn’t get a better chance?
How can I say it… In Olomouc they didn’t give me the chance I imagined. I only had half a match there, and I mean with Třinec. I was a training goalkeeper in Olomouc. I went to Břeclav for matches of the Youth League.

I can’t help but ask: Did you watch the progress of the Olomouc youth season, where both the junior and the youth fell out of the top competitions? Don’t you regret that you didn’t get a proper space?
I watched it online or on video. I have to say that I’m sorry because I know some good guys there. I don’t know… They probably didn’t succeed, I don’t know what to say about Olomouc.

And your return to Olomouc was not or is not in the cards?
I guess it’s a closed chapter. I honestly don’t want to go back there like this knowing what it’s like there. I am happy in the junior team Šumperka, where it is a blast for me. I don’t need to go back there.

Team captain David Cekr recently revealed in an interview that he wants to say goodbye to the junior category with success. How do you perceive the team leader’s words?
I have to say that we would like to take it as far as possible. It’s more guys, not just David, who want to place as well as possible. As I said, I don’t know when there has been something similar here in Šumperk, so I hope that we will do the best we can. I hope we can make it as far as possible.

Do you already know where you will work next season, or is it too early?
I would like to continue in Šumperk. I haven’t thought about the next seasons yet, but I want to focus on Šumperk to help him to a good position. Whether it will be in the league or the extra league, if we’re lucky.

Ondrej Putin | Photo: Alena Ryšava

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