# Vlci Žilina

Vlci Žilina is a professional Slovak ice hockey club based in Žilina. They currently play in the Slovak Extraliga. The club has won the Slovak league championship in 2006. The team is nicknamed Vlci, it means Wolves in English.

## History

The club was founded on 25 January 1925 as ŠK Žilina. They played first official game against Slávia Banská Bystrica on 16 December 1928. Žilina was beaten 0–3. They competed in the Championship of Central Slovakia before and during World War II. In the 1931–32 season they won this championship. After WW II and restored Czechoslovakia they played in the Czechoslovak Extraliga two seasons. Žilina finished last in the 1951–52 season and the 1952–53 season. They won the 1964–65 1. SNHL season and promoted to the qualification for the Czechoslovak Extraliga. In the qualification round they lost all games and did not promote. After dissolution of Czechoslovakia they were included to the Slovak 1.Liga, second level of Slovak hockey. Žilina won the 2000–01 Slovak 1.Liga season and promoted to the Slovak Extraliga first time. In the 2005–06 season they reached the most remarkable success. Žilina won the Slovak Extraliga first time after beating HK Poprad 4–3 in the final series. Michal Hreus was the top scorer of Žilina in the playoffs, recording 15 points (7G+8A). Through the victory in Extraliga they gained an option to play with the best European ice hockey teams in the IIHF European Champions Cup. Žilina was defeated 0–7 by HPK in first game but then won 4–2 against HC Sparta Praha and finished second in the Ragulin division.
In the 2018–19 season, Žilina were relegated to the Slovak 1. Liga after losing a best-of-seven relegation playoff to HK Dukla Michalovce.
Club's 100-percent shareholders, the City of Žilina, had sold the shares to a private company Lupiza in May 2020. The new owners had intended to rename the club to HK Vlci Žilina.

## Current roster

As of 8 December 2024.
| No. | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
| 32 | Alexander Avtsin | LW | R | 33 | 2024 | Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| 34 | Jozef Baláž | C | L | 25 | 2024 | Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia |
| 83 | Martin Belluš | RW | R | 33 | 2023 | Spišská Nová Ves, Czechoslovakia |
| 12 | Šimon Beták | RW | L | 29 | 2023 | Trnava, Slovakia |
| 27 | Rastislav Dej (C) | LW | L | 36 | 2024 | Považská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia |
| 23 | Jakub Dubravik | LW | L | 17 | 2023 | Hereford, England, United Kingdom |
| 44 | Kirill Dyakov | D | L | 31 | 2024 | Nizhny Tagil, Russia |
| 22 | Hunter Fejes | LW | L | 30 | 2024 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States |
| 48 | Daniel Gachulinec | D | R | 30 | 2024 | Považská Bystrica, Slovakia |
| 20 | Peter Galamboš (A) | C | L | 35 | 2023 | Martin, Czechoslovakia |
| 95 | Matúš Holenda | D | L | 29 | 2024 | Trenčín, Slovakia |
| 18 | Nick Jones (A) | C | R | 28 | 2024 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| 17 | Michal Juščák | C | R | 25 | 2023 | Bratislava, Slovakia |
| 92 | Jakub Kolenič | RW | R | 22 | 2024 | Zvolen, Slovakia |
| 29 | Andrej Košarišťan | G | L | 31 | 2023 | Dolný Kubín, Slovakia |
| 8 | Patrik Koyš (A) | RW | L | 29 | 2020 | Ilava, Slovakia |
| 1 | Connor LaCouvee | G | L | 30 | 2024 | Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada |
| 77 | Jarid Lukosevicius | RW | R | 29 | 2024 | Squamish, British Columbia, Canada |
| 16 | Brenden Miller | D | L | 30 | 2024 | Orangeville, Ontario, Canada |
| 10 | Miroslav Mucha | RW | L | 27 | 2024 | Bytča, Slovakia |
| 7 | Jakub Pobezal | D | L | 22 | 20 | Považská Bystrica, Slovakia |
| 81 | Erik Rajnoha | D | L | 26 | 2023 | Trenčín, Slovakia |
| 28 | Sebastián Šmida | C | R | 26 | 2023 | Skalica, Slovakia |
| 89 | Miguël Tourigny | D | R | 22 | 2024 | Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada |
| 15 | Tomas Vajko | D | L | 17 | 2024 | Lučenec, Slovakia |
| 73 | Róbert Varga (A) | LW | L | 29 | 2022 | Bratislava, Slovakia |
| 9 | Kamil Wałęga | C | R | 24 | 2024 | Cieszyn, Poland |

## Honours
### Domestic

Slovak Extraliga
* Winners (1): 2005–06
* 3rd place (1): 2016–17
Slovak 1. Liga
* Winners (3): 2000–01, 2021–22, 2023–24
* Runners-up (3): 1998–99, 2020–21, 2022–23
Slovak Hockey League
* 3rd place (1): 1940–41
1st. Slovak National Hockey League
* Winners (1): 1964–65
* 3rd place (2): 1965–66, 1967–68

### Pre-season

Rona Cup
* Winners (1): 2006