# KHL Sisak

KHL Sisak is a Croatian professional ice hockey team that plays in the Croatian Ice Hockey League and the Alps Hockey League. They play their home games at Ledena dvorana Zibel, which was renovated in 2018.

## History

The first hockey game was played in Sisak in 1930. It was played between the students of the 7th High School. Over the years they played partial and irregular matches, mostly between students. Then, the sports society "Slavia" organized a hockey club. The new Sisak club had its first success at the championship of Yugoslavia in 1937. The players were: Vjenceslav Holubek, Vladimir Berghauer, Želimir Golder, Josip Kovačić, Mate Starčević, Oliver Pötzl, Franjo Knebl, Branko Herlinger and Joža Stampf. At that time, Pötzl and Berghauer were members of the national team. In season 1938/39 the club participated in the Yugoslav League Croatian division, with teams from Zagreb, Karlovac, and Varaždin. In 1958 and 1959 Sisak hockey players won the Croatian championship and became members of the Federal League. In 1961 they went on to become Croatian ice hockey champions. Late in 1971 the "Recreational Center Zibel" rink was finished and the first international hockey match in Sisak was played between KHL Medveščak Zagreb and Tesla Pardubice from Czech Republic.
Hockey has continued to evolve in Yugoslavia; Sisak was sponsored by INA oil company and bore their name. "INA" Sisak repeatedly won first place in the second division of the state championships, and appeared in the first division. Through several years of play, with greater or lesser success, Sisak's young hockey players from the club "INA" became the junior Croatian champions in 1979. In the 1980/81 Croatian league season, the youngest "INA" team won the championship.

## Club identity

KHL Sisak's traditional colours are blue and green. These two colours are consistent with the colours of the flag of Sisak. The club plays home matches in mostly blue uniform, while the away uniform is predominantly white. The badge represents a knight, also one of the city symbols, representing its rich history.

## Honours

Croatian Ice Hockey League
* Winners (2): 2021–22, 2023–24
* Runners-up (1): 2022–23

## Sponsors

KHL Sisak sponsors include companies such as OTP banka, Renaissance Capital, DELTA MM STEELIX, Maxam Detines and Minoa automobiles.

## KHL Sisak in Europe

After winning the Croatian Ice Hockey League in 2022, KHL Sisak qualified for the first time in the IIHF Continental Cup. The draw placed KHL Sisak in group A together with Tartu Kalev-Välk, HC NSA Sofia, and Skautafélag Akureyrar. In the final group match in Sofia, Sisak secured their historic qualification for the second round with a win against the hosts.
IIHF Continental Cup :
| Season | Round | Club | Score | Aggregate |
| 2022–23 | First stage (Sofia, Bulgaria) | Tartu Kalev-Välk | 2–7 | 1st place |
| 2022–23 | First stage (Sofia, Bulgaria) | Skautafélag Akureyrar | 2–6 | 1st place |
| 2022–23 | First stage (Sofia, Bulgaria) | HC NSA Sofia | 9–6 | 1st place |
| 2022–23 | Second stage (Angers, France) | SC Miercurea Ciuc | 5–0 | 4th place |
| 2022–23 | Second stage (Angers, France) | Ducs d'Angers | 0–12 | 4th place |
| 2022–23 | Second stage (Angers, France) | Ferencvárosi TC (ice hockey) | 10–2 | 4th place |
| 2024–25 | First stage (Sofia, Bulgaria) | SKHL Crvena zvezda | 1–7 | 1st place |
| 2024–25 | First stage (Sofia, Bulgaria) | Bulldogs Liège | 6–1 | 1st place |
| 2024–25 | First stage (Sofia, Bulgaria) | Irbis-Skate Sofia | 15–1 | 1st place |
| 2024–25 | Second stage (Ritten, Italy) | HDD Jesenice | 1–3 | 3rd place |
| 2024–25 | Second stage (Ritten, Italy) | Ritten Sport | 2–10 | 3rd place |
| 2024–25 | Second stage (Ritten, Italy) | Sokil Kyiv | 4–2 | 3rd place |

## Players
### Current roster

Source: As of: July 31, 2024
| No. | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
| 29 | Vilim Rosandić | G | L | 28 | 2024 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 32 | Nikša Slade | G | L | 18 | 2024 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 14 | Petar Pećerić | D | R | 19 | 2024 | Subotica, Serbia |
| 96 | Marko Baždar | D | L | 19 | 2023 | Sisak, Croatia |
| 21 | Niko Čavlović | D | R | 21 | 2023 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 97 | Marko Vukadin | D | L | 20 | 2023 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 18 | Tyrone Bronte | F | R | 25 | 2023 | Melbourne, Australia |
| 41 | Lovro Slovinac | D | L | 19 | 2024 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 16 | Carson Brière | C/RW | R | 25 | 2024 | Haddonfield, New Jersey |
| 24 | Ivan Puzić (A) | D | L | 29 | 2021 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 25 | Matej Mandušić | F | L | 19 | 2024 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 20 | Vito Idžan | F | L | 21 | 2024 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 68 | Jan Smolec | D | R | 27 | 2024 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 87 | Ivor Bujger | F | L | 20 | 2019 | Sisak, Croatia |
| 38 | Dominic Rene Čanić | C | L | 24 | 2021 | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 5 | Patrik Dobrić | D/F | L | 23 | 2021 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 15 | Vlastimil Dostálek | RW | L | 30 | 2024 | Přerov, Czech Republic |
| 77 | Nikita Stepanov (ice hockey) | F | R | 20 | 2025 | Narva, Estonia |
| 17 | Karlo Marinković | F | L | 20 | 2024 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 27 | Nik Malenica | LW/C | L | 27 | 2022 | Nanaimo, British Columbia |
| 19 | Dominik Kanaet | RW | L | 33 | 2025 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 4 | Ante Bebek | F | L | 22 | 2023 | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 71 | Nejc Burgar | F | L | 21 | 2025 | Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| 7 | Filip Polonijo | F | L | 20 | 2023 | Zagreb, Croatia |

## Retired numbers

KHL Sisak has retired one number in their history.
Retired numbers :
| No. | Player | Position | Retired |
| 22 | Darko Lončar | F | 1983 |