Goalkeeper Hudacek moves from Cologne to Dresden

The Dresdner Eislöwen are strengthening their ranks for the new season with Slovakian goalkeeper Julius Hudacek. As the promoted team in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) announced on Friday, the experienced goaltender is moving from the Cologne Sharks to the Elbe and signing a contract for one season. Hudacek is the second new signing for the promoted team after NHL veteran Justin Braun.

The 36-year-old brings years of experience from the KHL, where he stood between the posts for Spartak Moscow and Dinamo Riga, among others, as well as from the top leagues in Sweden, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. He won World Championship silver with his country's national team in 2012. At the start of 2024, he moved to the DEL for the first time with Löwen Frankfurt. Last season, he made 47 appearances in goal for the Kölner Haie, with whom he made it to the play-off final.

"Julius has shown his class in different leagues. Whether in the KHL, the SHL or most recently in the DEL, he has impressed with his performance and was not only a sporting success, but also a crowd favorite. As he wanted to stay in the DEL, we were able to convince him to move to Dresden. Especially for us as a newly promoted team, the goalkeeper is the key position," said Eislöwen sports director Matthias Roos.