Croatia are looking forward to their first ever appearance in the top tier of the men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship with a young but experienced team.
Indeed, for captain Mario Mucić, he knows the lie of the land well as he plays with KHC Leuven. He is just 25 but has been an international for over eight years, scoring five times in the second tier in 2016 in Portugal.
In total, he has 31 goals in 20 indoor internationals and will be a pivotal figure. He lines out with his brother Marko, showcasing the close-knit, family nature of the team.
Gregor and Anže Fujs are another set of brothers while Filip Žlimen and Josip Krleža are cousins.
They are in the top division following a best ever finish in Paredes in 2022, taking third place in Championship II following fourth place finishes in 2018 and 2020.
The core of the team is from HAHK Mladost from Zagreb who will also be playing in the EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup in February.
Zoran Jakopović voted for best goalkeeper on Indoor Hockey Club Cup 2022 in Tükiye (playing for HK Zelina); Anže Fujs (with Mladost) was the best played in 2022 in Championship II.
They have enjoyed a preparation cycle in Hamburg and Prague along with a few weekend camps in Croatia and they will finish off at the Rohrmax Cup in Vienna.
Head coach is Nikola Hanžek, the ex Slovakia coach, working with Bernardo Fernandes – the ex-Portugal coach who also now works with Grossflotbekker THC in Hamburg – and Tomislav Barilar.
** To find out more about the tournament and buy tickets, go to the event website here: https://ehic2024.be/
** The EuroHockey focus is on a massive February of indoor hockey with events taking place on four consecutive weekends.
For fans around the world, it means lots of top class action to enjoy on EuroHockeyTV with the following top level tournaments all broadcast live on a pay-per-view basis or with an already purchased EHTV pass.
