Rajna Returns to Budapest

2018.06.18. 18:40 |

National team goalie Miklós Rajna has returned to Budapest after seven seasons as he will be playing for MAC Budapest during the 2018-19 season.

The Dunaújváros born goalie left the EBEL side Fehérvár AV19 at six season, during this time he became a mainstay on the national team roster. Rajna represented Hungary in six World Championships including the A-Pool tournament in 2016 and has dressed in 76 national team games. Rajna made his pro debut during the 2007-08 season before making the move to the Budapest Stars the following year. During his three season stint with the Stars he won a league title in 2009-10. He would end up moving back home for one season and then moved across Fejér County to play in Székesfehérvár for the next six seasons.

Why did you decided to leave Fehérvár?
I wanted get more playing time. I spent some great seasons in Fehérvár but both me and the club decided that it would be better for my career if I moved on to a different team, both Fehérvár and myself agreed on this. We parted way in great terms, I can really thank a lot to the team and to Gábor Ocskay Sr., if he would not have been with the team at the time my probably would not be where I am now. I am very thankful for him, the team and the city of Székesfehérvár. This has come to an end, I have to move on now. The biggest reason was because of playing time.

You had offers from other Hungarian teams and from teams throughout Europe but in the ned why did you decided to join MAC Budapest?
I did have offers from both Hungary and abroad, but it was a bit harder to get offers outside of Hungary because I did not play as many games this season as I did in the past. As Hungarian player playing in the Slovak Extraliga sounds like a great idea. I think that MAC is a great team and they have shown this in the past three seasons. I know the coaching staff well from our work together in the national team, and I know most of the players as well. The team plays in a great arena and the city of Budapest is great as well.

How much did you keep it in mind that MAC head coach Gergely Majoross and the general manager Balázs Kangyal were your teams in the Budapest Stars?
Back then Kangyal really gave me my first opportunity to play top flight hockey with the Budapest Stars and then later Vasas. I have a great relationship with both of them so I trusted them and I know what I am getting into with MAC.

You will be forming a goaltending duo with your former teammate Bence Bálizs, what is your relationship with him?
The rivalry between Bence and me goes back even farther than our days in Fehérvár. We are about the same age so coming up in the national youth system we had gone up against each other eventually we were teammates in the national team and in Fehérvár. Bence is the type of guy who I am friends with and there was never any problems between us, it was always a health rivalry where we were able to push each other to become better. This is what I expect this season, we'll always have the goals of the team first before our personal goals and this is great for everyone involved.

You had a goal coach in Fehérvár and now you will be working with Jukka Kontsas, what is your relationship with him?
It is very important to have a goal coach even at the professional level. Hopefully this will become a standard in Hungary that all the professional clubs will have a goalie coach. At theage of 27-28 goalies can’t really make any changes on their style of the way they play. However a goalie coach can make small changes that can always help a goalie and help them to become better. I have known Jukka from the national team and he is a great coach, I look forward to working together with him for an entire season.

What are you expecting from yourself and the team during the upcoming season?
The most important aspect of the season is for the team to be as successful as they can be during the season. It doesn't really matter what I am expecting personally for myself as long as the team is playing well and winning. We would like to surprise the fans both in Hungary and in Slovakia and achieve a result that none expected.