More than just a fighter

ROMFORD, UK – Jozef Sladok is an intimidating presence. The 6 ft 5 defenceman is capable of laying huge hits, and loves to drop the gloves if the situation calls for it. That’s just one aspect of the big man’s game though, something that he proved in his time at Romford. Following an impressive few months, he is now not short of offers for 2010/11.
 
Sladok joined the Romford Raiders just before Christmas last season, in the middle of one of the worst seasons in Romford history. The season didn’t start well, and a string of player and coach changes only made the situation worse. In the end the Raiders finished with just 14 points from 54 games. A lone bright spot though was Sladok, who was brought in to replace the underperforming Michal Palik in December.
 
Several people saw his high penalty-minute totals and thought that Romford were hiring a pure goon, but that turned out to be far from the case.
Sladok said: “I had a couple of opportunities to stay in America as a forward and be a fighter. I’ve always been a defenceman, but I always liked playing up front. But as a left wing on a fourth line I knew I would get only a couple of shifts a game and all I would have to care about would be fighting.
 
“I realised that I’m not that bad a player, and I know I can play good hockey with regular shifts. A lot of people when they heard I signed with the Raiders thought I was going to be just a goon who can’t play hockey. Don’t get me wrong, I still love fighting, but I hope I proved to people that I can play hockey also,” he added.

The Slovakian blueliner is still only 21, but he has a huge amount of experience for someone so young. He came up through the HK Zvolen Junior system in Slovakia, and moved to the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL when he was 18. With Plymouth he was playing with and against several future NHLers, such as James Neal of the Dallas Stars, and Atlanta Thrashers forward Evander Kane. After helping the Whalers to an OHL Championship and the Memorial Cup finals, he moved on to the CHL, before deciding that he needed a change.
 
He said: “I started last season in an AHL camp as a left wing with Milwaukee Admirals, and after that I left for the ECHL Johnstown Chiefs. Things didn’t work out how I wanted and I decided to leave North America and come back to Europe.
 
“My agent, David Imonti, did a great job trying to find me a job, and one day he asked me if I would come and play for Romford Raiders. I didn’t have time to be picky and I took the first thing that came up. I ended up signing with the Raiders during the next 24 hours,” he continued.
 
He couldn’t save Romford’s season, but his performances were impressive. Romford fans even likened him to their defensive hero from the previous year Jan Krajicek, and there certainly are similarities. Sladok’s skating is good for such a big man, and he shares Krajicek’s penchant for spectacular up-ice rushes.
 
While the fans were gushing in their praise for Sladok, he was just as complimentary in return. He said: “I think hockey in general was at higher level in America. The players were faster, stronger and more skilled, and the rinks are much better. Crowds are miles better in England though. Fans in England have a bigger passion for sports and I like it a lot. It gets loud during games, fans are singing, chirping, and I loved that. Fans in America are loud only when a team scores a goal, or there is a fight or a big hit. In England they are loud during the whole game.”
 
Jozef also had special praise for the Romford fans, saying: “I enjoyed the time with the Raiders. Sometimes it was tough mentally for the players because things were not working well, but that happens everywhere. The Romford fans were still great. The team won only a couple of games all season and people were still coming to games and they still were passionate about the team, and you don’t see that very often. I give them a lot of respect for standing behind the team during those bad times.”
 
Sladok also said that a highlight for him was playing almost the full 60 minutes in a game against Peterborough when Romford were short-benched, a feat that is almost unheard of in the modern game.
 
For now, Jozef is back in Slovakia and enjoying being home. However British hockey fans may well see more of the gentle giant next season. He said: “I received a couple of offers from the EPL and Elite League, but right now I don’t know where I’ll end up signing. If there’s a team in Romford and some things and people change in the organisation and on the team I would come back, but we’ll have to see what happens.”
Contact the author dave.lambert@prohockeynews.com