SLOUGH, UK – It has been a while since Slough Jets fans have had much to cheer, but under the guidance of experienced Czech Lukas Smital, positivity is growing once more at the Hanger.
Jets flying once more (Jez Talbot)
The 44 year old former Czech junior international enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the game in the UK, but his latest challenge saw him take over a team that had slumped from the heights of three English Premier League Play-Off Championships, to the basement of the British game almost in the blink of an eye.
As if to underline the point, Smital’s first season in charge coincided with an £11.2 million rink refurbishment requiring the Jets to play in a smaller sized temporary facility dubbed by users as ‘the tent’.
“Of course it was challenging” admits the Jets’ Player Coach, who joined the club from Bracknell.
“I’d experienced challenges at Bracknell where our “Save the Bees” campaign saved the club going down, and I was proud to play a major part in that. Despite this, my services were no longer needed there.
“When I arrived at Slough it was a little different and a new experience having to play in the temporary rink, but despite all of this we started a rebuilding process and through the course of the year we grew stronger and stronger and ended up making the Play-Offs which was very refreshing for the club as a whole.”
Slough fell at the quarter final stage but it already felt a corner had been turned in a period of upheaval. Thanks to the presence of Smital and of course the new look Hanger, the Jets have become a far more attractive proposition for young players in the area.
Norris on form
Summer arrivals illustrate the point with exciting teenage duo Sam Talbot and Sean Norris opting to play their hockey under the Heathrow flight path on two way deals. Nineteen year old Norris spent last season with Dukla Jihlava in Smital’s homeland and has already scored 25 goals in just 15 games, while seventeen year old Talbot has 21 goals in 16 and earned himself a call up to the GB under 18’s squad.
For his part, the Jets coach has lit the lamp 18 times but notably leads the team with 45 assists to his name.
“I don’t see myself as a goal scorer” he laughs, when asked if he prefers not to shoot quite as much as he could.
“I’m not saying I can’t score but I think I’m much more beneficial to our team to use my play-making skills and vision. We have pretty young team and if there’s chance to make a good pass, it can bring their game and confidence up once they put it away.”
Even in his forties, its little wonder the veteran can still light up the NIHL 2 considering his pedigree in the game. This is a man who has racked up just short of 150 goals in the ECHL and over 300 in the English Premier League. He’s lifted the EPL and BNL Championships and been selected for numerous all-star select sides in a professional career spanning almost 27 years.
The foundation for Smital’s longevity and success in the game was formed in his native Czech Republic, where he first broke into senior hockey for his hometown club HC Kralovopolska Brno back in 1992. A call up to the u20’s national squad for the World Championships followed, where Smital would skate in the same tournament as future NHL stars Saku Koivu and Niklas Sundstrom. This early national recognition proved to be the catalyst for a move across the pond and subsequent spells in the ECHL and AHL.
“Representing my country was a great honour and experience” explains the 6′ 0″ forward, who skated alongside the likes of Petr Sykora and Marek Malik in that Czech team.
Kids learning lessons in the new Hanger
“It opened my eyes to the possibilities I could achieve in the sport if I put the right attitude, determination and work ethic into it. Playing in the Minors in the US gave me all I could hope for. Not only in my hockey career but also in my personal life.
“I was never drafted nor managed to play in the NHL but I did attend the Boston Bruins training camp and that alone proved to me how much every little detail counts. At that time I just wasn’t ready for that level but I didn’t stop trying to reach it. Not everyone is fortunate to play in the NHL and it was my case as well.
“Looking back at my early years I wouldn’t have thought that in the space of five years starting as a skinny, shy and average player, I’d get into a position to be able to fight for the spot in the best league in the world.”
It’s this knowledge and experience that has made Smital passionate about youth development. He set up the Lukas Smital Hockey Academy a number of years ago with a focus on all areas of the game. Attention to detail and fitness being key.
“We aim to help players to understand that while playing hockey is great fun, you have to put in a lot of honest hard work to be able to compete at the level you’d wish to reach” says Smital, who also runs camps during school holidays.
“We pay a lot of attention on detailed skating and shooting most of all. We also put a lot of work in off-ice programs which I have personally done for over 30 years starting as a kid of course. It’s effective and I thought it would be right to pass it onto the upcoming players attending the Academy.
“For those who want to progress to the highest levels of the game it’s trying to get them to understand that there is no way they can do that without a specific off-ice program. Skating on the ice won’t make you faster, but all the work off the ice will –that’s the kind of examples we give.”
“For me the advice for those aiming to go far in the game it’s simple. You train one or two hours a day – on or off the ice. It’s not that long, so give it all, absolutely everything. If you don’t it will catch up with you, eventually it will for sure, you can’t out-cheat the game and you should never look back in regret!”
Talbot scores past the Huskies
Slough currently sit in second spot in the Wilkinson Conference of NIHL 2, two points behind Chelmsford Chieftains but with a game in hand.
The long serving, yet still young local core of Nathan Darmanin, Timo Lindgren and Liam Underdown have all developed under Smital with support from the more experienced Dan Rose, Tom Fisher and Luke Reynolds. In between the pipes, teenagers Matt Smital and Brett Shepherd are both posting 90%+ save averages and the squad as a whole has the best disciplinary record in the top 12.
The future looks a lot brighter for the Jets as a team, but with uncertainty about the structure of the lower tiers of British hockey looming yet again, the future pathway for young British hockey players appears to be as winding as ever.
With his experience in the game and involvement in junior development, Smital clearly has an informed opinion on the route young players (and those advising them) should try and take.
Rose blooms (Kev Slyfield)
“We definitely have players within the club that in the future would be able to compete in the EIHL for example.
“Obviously this is very sensitive topic, but I personally believe that there’s a lot of players in this country skipping the levels or being influenced by others to make the transition prematurely.
“It’s important that people realise that developing young athletes takes time and it requires a very good understanding of the training process, not only physically but most importantly mentally, to be able to reach that stage.”
With ten games remaining in the regular season and the Play-Offs to follow. Slough fans will be quietly confident that even if trophies do not arrive this year, the future looks brighter already, especially through that fresh unscratched refurbished Hangar plexi-glass.
For more information on the Lukas Smital Hockey Academy click HERE
Contact the author: carrsy2@gmail.com
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