Release from 04.09.2026

Fehérvár forward János Hari: “You have to be good when it counts”

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Hydro Fehérvár AV19 produced one of the big stories of last season’s win2day ICE Hockey League with their surprise run to the semifinals. The team, led by head coach Ted Dent, is focusing on continuity for the new season. In this interview, forward János Hari talks about last season, preseason preparations and the standard of the league.

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On the final regular-season game day, a goal by Anže Kuralt 34 seconds before the end of regulation time in the derby against Budapest prevented an early end to the season. Fehérvár won the subsequent pre-playoff duel with Vienna and beat KAC in the quarterfinals. It was only in the semifinals that they met their end against eventual champions Graz. “When people look back on it in a few years, they might think it was a good season because we reached the semifinals for only the second time in club history. We had a few good weeks towards the end, with a lot of things going our way. Overall, it wasn’t a good season. I think the main takeaway is that you have to be good when it counts, but first you have to get there. Especially in the playoffs, anything can happen,” Hari reflects.

Fehérvár focusing on continuity
To kick off the preseason, Fehérvár played Košice twice, with the games ending in one win and one loss. On Friday, they face Banská Bystrica. “At the beginning of preseason, I’m mainly focused on getting myself going again. In the course of preseason, it gets better and better — you just try to do your best and get your timing back. Hockey-wise, the games are not the same. It’s like going to the casino with free chips: in the end, it doesn’t really matter whether you win or lose.”



There wasn’t too much change over the summer for the Székesfehérvár side: Of the six new arrivals, four are new imports. Head coach Ted Dent has remained with the club. The Canadian took over after a weak start to the season last November. “He has a great personality. He is very positive and a good motivator. Even during difficult times, he was able to see the positive side of things. Hopefully, we can get off to a good start this season, which can always help,” says the 34-year-old forward, who follows what’s happening in the league very closely.

“There are a lot of good teams in the league this year. I always follow the transfer activity of the other teams. I’m a big hockey nerd when it comes to stats and transfers. It’s great to have 14 teams and a 52-game schedule in the regular season. For me, it doesn’t matter whether it’s an eight- or ten-hour bus ride. It’s nice to have a new team in the league, and Milano seems to be a good one. They could be fighting for a top-six spot, and having another strong team is also good for the league.”