Introducing Ziga Jeglic

During the 2013/14 season, twenty-five-year old national Team Slovenia forward had played for Ingolstadt ERC, a member of the German premiere league DEL. In 33 regulation games he scored 24 points. In the post-season, he became the 4th most scoring player of the league and contributed a lot to the inaugural championship title for the Bavarian club. One of the most talented Slovenian players will move to HC SLOVAN at the beginning of the new season. 

You were a part of Ingolstadt’s historic champions title. Did you celebrate a lot?
We worked very hard throughout the whole season to make this success possible. The celebration after game 7 was just wonderful. It was Ingolstadt‘s first title, so the whole team and fans enjoyed it very much. I hope we can do the same in Bratislava – to work hard and be stronger on ice than on the paper! 

Why did you decide to come to Bratislava for the next season?
I got a very serious offer from Slovan after the end of the season. Rok Tičar, my teammate from national Team Slovenia has agreed with the offer from Slovan in the meantime and it also helped me with my decision to sign a contract. I think that playing with HC SLOVAN in KHL is a good opportunity for me as a young player, it’s a one step forward in my hockey career. I want to get better and have a great motivation to play for HC SLOVAN.

Have you discussed with Rok Ticar about coming to HC SLOVAN?
Yes, we talked together about playing in Slovan. We have played together in Slovenia national team for six years and I think we can play very good together also in Slovan. We decided to join the team together, it was the best option for both of us. Slovan is a club with rich history, great fans, represents an exciting city and participates in one of the best hockey leagues in the world. We’ll try to do our best in Bratislava.

Did you follow HC SLOVAN a bit in KHL last season?
Yes, of course. I have basically checked the results of KHL in general and I also watched some games on TV.  In my opinion, Slovan had a pretty good season – considering tough competition in the Western Conference - and they fought till the end for playoffs. Unfortunately, they lost some games in the beginning of the season and maybe that was the reason why Slovan did not make it to playoffs. Jan Muršak is the first Slovenian playing in KHL. He plays for CSKA Moscow currently, and I have watched him play a bit, as well. KHL is a really good league with great hockey players.

Have you heard about enthusiastic atmosphere during Slovan home games?
Yes! I think Slovan is very famous about that in the whole Europe. I know it has great fans and every home game is sold out. I think fans cheering during the game help players in every home game a lot. I am really looking forward to the Slovan fans in the next season.

Do you know any HC SLOVAN players?
Well, I know a couple of guys from the World Champs and Olympics but not personally. I believe Slovan will have a good team with many players from the national team Slovakia. It’s a really quality team with hard working players.

Have you ever been to Bratislava?
I’ve been to Bratislava during the World Championship in 2011. I remember Bratislava is a nice city with many attractive places, great people and wonderful historic downtown. I’m looking forward to exploring some of the city’s hidden treasures during the next season.

What have you been up to these days?
I went to Croatia for five days to spend at the seaside. Then I came back home, staying here for ten days and relax a little bit after a long season.

When will you start new season preparations?
I will start with a couple of  teammates from Slovenia national team next Monday because I want to be ready for my first KHL season and arrive in good shape in the Slovan pre season camp in July.

What are you looking forward the most in the next season?
I’m looking forward to making a further big step up in my career and playing in a great team in one of the best world leagues. I want to improve myself as an individual, but the most important is the team success.

What are your expectations for upcoming season?
I expect a lot of quality matches in an exciting league. I will do my best to help the team to win as many matches as possible to secure our pre-season goals.