HK Nitra travelled to Budapest on the opening weekend of October for the next round of the U16 Bauer Elite Cup, held in Újpest. While they only collected a point, the experience of playing new teams shone through.
“I’ve really enjoyed the tournament so far because it’s challenging, and we can play against guys from other countries,” said Sebastian Brath. “We are trying to be the best and focus on winning every game.
“I think that we are a very good team, everyone’s very supportive and we are trying to play as one. We are like brothers on the ice.”
Playing hockey at aged 14 comes with its own challenges, mainly balancing out school as well. “I’m really trying to schedule my days; I have certain timeslots for school and for hockey,” explained the forward. “I also try to study as much as possible when I’m at school, to have less work at home. But it is how it is, everything’s manageable with proper scheduling.
“But whenever I’m bored I just take my hockey shooting pad and practice stick!”
Growing up in Slovakia, who are players like Sebastian looking to in hockey? “When I was little, I liked Patrick Kane very much, he was my idol. Nowadays I follow younger players, like Adam Sýkora and Cole Caufield, their careers are great motivation for us as to what we could achieve!”
