Croatian club Medveščak Zagreb will be the 28th team in the KHL for the 2013/2014 season, KHL management confirmed Monday evening.
The news has so far only been published on the Russian language version of the official KHL website, khl.ru, quoting KHL president Alexander Medvedev: “Medveščak is one of the most well-known and stable clubs in central Europe. Their history goes back over half a century, with many trophies and a strong tradition. The club promotes hockey in the whole region; this season they even played in the Roman coliseum in Pula. They consistently attract 15,000 fans to their home games in Zagreb. I am delighted to welcome the ‘Bears’ to the KHL, and I wish them every success.”
“I believe our participation in the KHL will please fans not only in Croatia, but in all the countries taking part,” said Medveščak president Damir Goyanovich. “Our team will be predominantly made up of North American players with Croatian roots, and our home games will be played on a rink with Canadian dimensions, so we’ll bring an overseas style to the KHL.” Last season, Slovak forwards Roman Tomas and Jakub Gašparovič played for the club.
26 teams started the 2012/2013 KHL season. The KHL board recently accepted the newly-created Vladivostok team into the league, so Medveščak becomes the second newcomer for the coming season.
| P | Tím | Z | B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | CSKA Moscow | 38 | 81 |
| 2. | Jokerit Helsinki | 38 | 68 |
| 3. | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | 40 | 77 |
| 4. | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod | 39 | 67 |
| 5. | HC Sochi | 39 | 65 |
| 6. | Dynamo Moscow | 39 | 65 |
| 7. | SKA St. Peterburg | 38 | 62 |
| 8. | Dinamo Minsk | 38 | 56 |
| 9. | Medvescak Zagreb | 40 | 56 |
| 10. | HC SLOVAN Bratislava | 40 | 55 |
| 11. | Spartak Moscow | 39 | 50 |
| 12. | Vityaz Podolsk | 39 | 46 |
| 13. | Dinamo Riga | 37 | 46 |
| 14. | Severstal Cherepovets | 38 | 40 |
