After confirming his retirement Swindon Wildcats would like to thank Jan Kostal for his services to the organisation since his arrival in 2013.
Jan first joined the club after spending ten consecutive seasons with his hometown team, HC Energie Karlovy Vary. Having arrived under former coach Ryan Aldridge, Jan amassed 277 points (125 Goals and 152 Assists) in 338 games during his career in Swindon.
More recently, he led the team to three trophies in his final two seasons with the club in the shape of the Autumn and National Cups in 2018, before the 2019 NIHLS1 League Championship.
Head Coach Aaron Nell was quick to praise the impact Jan has had on ice hockey in Swindon.
“Since Jan has arrived in Swindon you could tell the amount of experience and professionalism he had. It has been an unbelievable privilege for Jan to have iced for the Wildcats as long as he did. As a club we were lucky to have him and must thank him for the way he changed the Swindon Wildcats for the better. He is a good friend of mine and the the whole team really looked up to him. We wouldn’t be where we are today without Jan.
As a player he was a warrior on the ice and the fans adored him in Swindon. He was a pleasure to play with, a pleasure to coach and he was our captain. We will miss him next season, but he retires a league champion and he was a big part of it.’
The club would like to thank Jan for all his efforts in his six seasons in Swindon. We’d like to wish Jan, Vladka and the family the best of luck in the future and we hope fans will join us in celebrating the impact he has on hockey in Swindon at tonight’s end of season party.
