EUHL 2013/2014: When the First Chapter Was Written

In November 2013, the first-ever game of the European University Hockey League was played. The new competition was founded on a simple yet ambitious idea: to create opportunities for university hockey players and enable them to continue playing competitive hockey while pursuing their university studies. The inaugural season was filled with great expectations. At the time, no one knew whether the new project would develop into a stable competition or how many teams would join the league in the years ahead.

One thing, however, was certain – EUHL had begun writing its history.

The Historic First Game

November 2013 will forever hold a special place in the history of university hockey. The teams that stepped onto the ice became part of an entirely new chapter in European sport. The inaugural season was more than just another hockey campaign. It represented the symbolic year zero of European university hockey as we know it today. The vision at the time extended far beyond the league itself. Historical EUHL materials reveal an ambition to gradually establish European divisions and involve universities from additional countries. The original concept envisaged regions comprising Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Austria, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Scandinavian countries and Switzerland.

The Teams That Stood at the Birth of EUHL

The inaugural season was still a long way from the international format we know today. In its early days, the league was formed primarily by university teams from Slovakia and Czechia.

The historic names of the first season included:

• UK Praha,
• Paneuropa Kings Bratislava,
• CityU Gladiators Trenčín,
• UTB Zlín,
• HK Slávia STU Bratislava,
• and other university teams that helped lay the foundations of the new competition.

The diversity of its teams was one of EUHL’s strengths from the very beginning. Charles University in Prague stood alongside Slovak university teams whose players were united by a shared passion for hockey and a desire to continue their education.

UK Praha: The First Team to Make History

If there is one name that will forever be associated with EUHL’s inaugural season, it is UK Praha. The Prague-based team was not only a participant in the historic first season. It also became the league’s first champion, and the manner in which it claimed the title left an indelible mark on the history of the competition.

The final brought together:

UK Praha – Paneuropa Kings Bratislava

The decisive game ended in a 6–4 victory, making UK Praha the first team in EUHL history to lift the Sekeráš Trophy.

The Final That Crowned the First Champion

The championship game delivered drama from the opening minutes. Paneuropa Kings took the lead and were ahead 2–1 after the first period. However, the Prague side produced a remarkable comeback in the second, scoring four goals to turn the game around and take a 5–3 lead into the final period. The Bratislava team managed to fight its way back into contention. Jančovič reduced the deficit to a single goal, but the decisive moment of the final soon followed. In the 51st minute, UK Praha captain Petr Hučko found the net to make it 6–4. Paneuropa Kings applied pressure in the closing stages and pulled their goaltender, but no further goals were scored. UK Praha successfully navigated the decisive final minutes and could celebrate a historic achievement.

The first EUHL champion had been crowned.

Petr Hučko – EUHL’s First Standout Player

One of the first players whose name became closely associated with university hockey was Petr Hučko. As captain of the winning team, he played a crucial role in the final and scored UK Praha’s decisive sixth goal in the 51st minute. His name, however, would not be remembered solely because of that one game.

The Historic Roster of the First Champion

UK Praha’s line-up in the championship game featured the players who today represent EUHL’s first generation of champions.

Vojtěch Vokatý and Srb played in goal. The other members of the team were Slavíček, Pípal, Krátký, Vošahlík, Karel Herr, Slánský, Petr Novák, Petr Hučko, Hložek, Dominik Novák, Macenauer, Alexa, Fuks, Baláž, Polák, Rovný, Křepelka, Monhart, Brém and Radostová.

Today, this roster holds exceptional historical significance. These were the players who became the first-ever winners of the Sekeráš Trophy.

Paneuropa Kings: The First Finalist and a Strong Slovak Presence

While Prague celebrated the title of the first EUHL champion, Paneuropa Kings Bratislava became the first finalist in league history. However, the Bratislava team was far more than simply the runner-up. Its roster also included Marek Marušiak, who would later earn a place in the first EUHL All-Star Team. The inaugural season therefore gave rise to one of the competition’s first major rivalries – Prague versus Bratislava. This Czech-Slovak encounter also became a symbolic beginning of EUHL’s international identity.

The First Chapter That Started It All

The 2013/2014 season was not only a battle for the first-ever Sekeráš Trophy. Above all, it proved that combining university studies with competitive hockey had a place in Europe. The first teams, players, coaches and organisers laid the foundations of a project that would gradually expand beyond the borders of Slovakia and Czechia in the years that followed. The original idea began to grow into an international university competition connecting sport, education and young people from different countries. Today, more than a decade later, we know that the inaugural season was not merely a one-off sporting project. It was the beginning of a story that continues to this day.

The first game. The first final. The first Sekeráš Trophy. The first champion.

UK Praha will forever hold its place on the opening page of EUHL history.

And the story was only just beginning.