A mixture of passes with machine-like precision, discipline, elaborated tactics and excellent physical condition. That is how we might characterize the Swiss floorball style. At this year's Chance Czech Open, this style will be practised by three elite men's teams. After the champions from Wiler-Ersigen we will now introduce to you the team Grasshopper Club Zürich.
The Zürich GC team was established eight years ago by a merger of the clubs UHC Cosmic, UHC Zürich and Zürich Lakers, and their best success so far has been the league final in 2005. A year later, the Grasshoppers' selection tried out the summer Prague tournament and therefore this year they are coming to Chance Czech Open for the second time already. At the very beginning they will have a tough job in their preliminary group, where they are going to face the Czech champion from Střeovice, Mladá Boleslav and the Swedish Falun.
In the past season of the Swiss league, the Zürich team had a great regular season, in which they finished second after Wiler. But they were eliminated in the first round of the play-offs already, after losing in the quarterfinal series against the later finalists from Rychenberg Winterthur.
The players who wore the Zürich jersey include the Swedish legend Niklas Jihde. The tall forward spent two seasons in Switzerland and helped Grasshoppers on their way to the final five years ago. Last year, the GC selection again relied on Swedish skills in their offence. The team's most productive player was Alexander Bodén, the hard-working and smart creative player.
The games of the Grasshoppers will be interesting for Czech spectators as well, mainly due to the presence of two Czech players in their squad. One of the key players in the Swiss defence is the experienced Ale Jakůbek. And for the new season the club has acquired the successful forward Radim Cepek from Rychenberg.
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