Caps hail signing of Czech star Dobron as ‘bit of a coup’

Czech ice hockey defenceman Michal Dobron today signed a one-year deal with Edinburgh Capitals – and co-owner Scott Neil believes the 32-year-old has what it takes to light up the Elite League.

Dobron, a 12-year veteran of the Czech Republic Extraliga, where he won three league championships, comes to Edinburgh off the back of a title winning season with top Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava.

A delighted Neil said: “This is the high calibre player we’ve been looking for. His pedigree is first class. Looking at his resume, which includes over 600 games in one of the world’s best leagues and eight international appearances, not only would you expect him to be one of our best ever defensive signings, but he will be rated highly throughout the league. We’ve worked really hard on this, it’s definitely a bit of a coup for us.”

Capitals player-coach Richard Hartmann shared Neil’s optimism and believes Dobron will bring leadership and experience to a defence that had the worst record in last season’s league, shipping 265 goals.

Hartmann said: “I expect him to be a leader both on and off the ice, especially for our young players, I want him to show them how to play the game. This team needs leaders and he brings us that.”