Mechelen Golden Sharks

Mechelen Golden Sharks are a Belgian ice hockey team that plays in the BeNe League, the top tier of the sport in Belgium and the Netherlands. The team is based in Mechelen and play their home games at the Ice Skating Center Mechelen.
==History==
The Mechelen Golden Sharks began to play in 2016, initially in the Belgian 2nd division. There, they dominated the competition in their debut season, winning all but two of their games, ultimately finishing in the 1st place. The following season they returned, and were even more dominant, winning every game. Subsequently, they moved to the BeNe League. In their first season in the BeNe League the team signed Lithuanian international and former Nijmegen Devil Aivaras Bendžius, however, they struggled against the tougher competition, finishing 10th out of 12 teams. They would improve in their 2nd season in the league, finishing 8th and qualifying for the play-offs, which were ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Golden Sharks are the senior side representing the ColdPlay Sharks team. Meanwhile, a feeder team, the Future Golden Sharks plays in the Belgian 1st Division.
==Roster== 
Updated February 4, 2021.
Goaltenders	Goaltenders	Goaltenders 	Goaltenders	Goaltenders	Goaltenders
Number 	 	Player 	Catches 	Acquired 	Place of Birth
1 	 	Brent Vandenbergh	- 	2019 	-
55 	/ 	Olivier Bertrand 	L 	2018 	Hull, Canada
19 	 	Mike Jansen 	L 	2020 	-
94 	 	Mike Gysbrechts 	L 	2017 	Antwerp, Belgium
Defencemen	Defencemen	Defencemen 	Defencemen	Defencemen	Defencemen 	Defencemen
Number 	 	Player 	Shoots 	Acquired 	Place of Birth 	
6 	 	Vadim Gyesbreghs 	L 	2020 	Wilrijk, Belgium 	
9 	 	Jakob Huyghe 	R 	2016 	- 	
23 	 	Elan Verryt 	- 	2020 	- 	
47 	 	Kim Miettinen 	L 	2019 	Tuusula, Finland 	
81 	 	Gijs De Schepper 	R 	2020 	Nieuwenrode, Belgium	
14 	 	Toon De Schepper 	R 	2020 	Nieuwenrode, Belgium	
81 	 	Rafael Salmi 	L 	2019 	- 	
29 	 	Jens Theunis 	L 	2020 	- 	
65 	 	Arne van Espen 	L 	2019 	- 	
81 	 	Din Alen Filipović	R 	2019 	- 	
Forwards	Forwards	Forwards 	Forwards	Forwards	Forwards	Forwards
Number 	 	Player 	Shoots 	Position	Acquired	Place of Birth
4 	 	Elia Urlings 	- 	F 	2019 	Breda, Netherlands
12 	 	Ben van den Bogaert 	L 	F 	2019 	-
13 	 	Peik Walden 	- 	F 	2020 	-
18 	 	Jano Vanderhulst 	- 	F 	2017 	-
20 	 	Marek Ziarny 	L 	F 	2017 	-
24 	 	Kevin de Winter 	L 	F 	2019 	Antwerp, Belgium
28 	 	Kenneth Pittoors 	L 	F 	2019 	-
61 	/ 	Adrian Koscher Ganslandt 	R 	F 	2019 	-
13 	/ 	Gabriel Koscher Ganslandt	L 	F 	2019 	-
91 	 	Stef Vermeulen 	L 	F 	2019 	-
10 	 	Arvo Lahti 	- 	F 	2019 	-
15 	 	Axel Kila 	L 	F 	2020 	-
23 	 	Jordan Kelsall 	R 	F 	2020 	Nottingham, England
25 	 	Mick Op de Beeck 	L 	LW 	2018 	-
31 	 	Stefaan Swennen 	L 	F 	2016 	Wilrijk, Belgium
89 	 	Timo Dewin 	L 	LW 	2018 	-
==Season-by-season record==
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Season 	League 	GP	W 	L 	T	OTW	OTL	Pts	GF 	GA 	Finish	Playoffs
2016-17	Belgian 2nd Division	18	14	2 	—	2 	0 	46 	156	46 	1st 	-
2017-18	Belgian 2nd Division	18	18	0 	—	0 	0 	54 	253	45 	1st 	-
2018-19	BeNe League 	22	4 	18	—	0 	0 	12 	63 	165	10th 	Did not qualify.
2019-20	BeNe League 	20	9 	11	—	0 	0 	29 	99 	95 	8th 	Playoffs cancelled
==Team records==
===Career===
These are the top five scorers in Golden Sharks history.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
Player 	Pos	GP	G 	A 	Pts
Martin Váchal 	F 	27	113	85	198
Marek Ziarny 	F 	46	57 	76	133
Olivier Roland 	F 	22	44 	70	114
Jesse Raekelboom	F 	13	37 	66	103
Daniel Budde 	D 	60	26 	41	67
Penalty minutes: Jakob Huyghe, 149
===Season===
====Regular season====
*Most goals in a season: Martin Váchal, 102 (2017–18)
*Most assists in a season: Martin Váchal, 77 (2017–18)
*Most points in a season: Martin Váchal, 179 (2017–18)
*Most penalty minutes in a season: Jakob Huyghe, 90 (2018–19)
==Notable players==
*Aivaras Bendžius
==References==
==External links==
*Mechelen Golden Sharks
*
Category: BeNe League teams
Category:Ice hockey teams in Belgium
Category:Ice hockey clubs established in 2016