Hungarian national team forward István Bartalis will be returning to play in Sweden after being away for the past five seasons.
István Bartalis has signed with HC Vita Hasten of the Allsvenskan in Sweden. The 2019-20 season will be somewhat of a homecoming for Bartalis after he had spent eight seasons in the Troja/Ljungby system where he started off with the U18 team and made it to the senior as he played parts of five seasons in the Allsvenskan. He returned to Hungary and played two seasons in the EBEL for Fehérvár before moving on to Germany and playing for the Schwenningen Wild Wings of the DEL for three seasons.
Bartalis made his Hungarian senior national team debut during the 2010-11 season, when he also played in the World Championships as well. He has played in seven World Championships for Hungary, including the 2016 A-Pool Tournament in Russia. He has played in a total of 70 games for the Hungarian national team.
For the 2019-20 season Bartalis will not be the only Hungarian playing in the Allsvenskan as Ádám Vay signed with Vasterviks earlier in the offseason. Other Hungarians who have played in the Allsvenskan are Vilmos Galló, János Hári, Scott Macaulay, János Vas, Frank Banham and Viktor Tokaji.
Why did you decide on going back to the Allsvenskan instead of playing somewhere else?
I wanted to have a chance to move up and play at a high level and I think I can still play at a high level. I am still young enough to play abroad and still have a chance to move up. I wanted to get back to playing in the style that I know I am good at, the typical Swedish style. I want to get the Canadian style out of my head and play in the creative Swedish style that I have most of my career.
How much do you know about Vita Hasten, they finished in last place last season and there will be pressure to play better this coming season?
When I was with Troja/Ljungby we had played against them when we were in the Allsvenskan and Vita Hasten was in Division 1. Things are flipped now with us being in the Allsvenskan. A few years ago they had a good team and were close to playing for promotion. I have signed with this club to play in one of the top lines and to be one of the top players on the team.
What type of role is the coaching staff expecting from you?
I will be a top two line center who is a leader on the team and is expected to score points. I they want me to be a plus player just like most two way centers are. They want me to fit in the system that the team has.
It is clear the team wants you playing center instead of on the wing, how much more comfortable do you feel in the middle of the ice than on the wings?
If we look at the past four seasons I have been playing a lot more center than on the wing, this started around when I was playing with Fehérvár. In the past four seasons I probably played a total of 20 game on the wing. I like playing center more since you are not restricted to playing on just one side of the ice and I can take advantage of my speed more.
This upcoming season you will not be the only Hungarian playing in the Allsvenskan, what will it be like playing against Ádám Vay during the season in the “Hungarain derby”?
I just hope to score as many goals against him in the games as I did in practice with the national team. :) (said István with a laugh and a smile)
