Hockey Punks Vilnius is a

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team located in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

, Lithuania, which plays in the

Latvian Hockey Higher League The Latvian Hockey Higher League ( lv, Latvijas Virslīgas hokeja čempionāts), also known as the Optibet Hockey League ( lv, Optibet hokeja līga) since 2017 due to sponsorship by Optibet, is the top tier league of ice hockey in Latvia currentl ...

, the top tier of ice hockey in Latvia. They play home games at the Pramogų arena.

History

Hockey Punks Vilnius were founded in 2007 when Lithuanian national team players Šarūnas Kuliešius and Martynas Šlikas started popularising the sport in the capital. Interest in the sport further increased following the launch of 'Heat on Ice' on Tango TV. Heat on Ice was a weekly show covering the latest hockey news and highlights from around the world, with celebrity guests. One of these guests was G&G Sindikatas rapper Gabrielius 'Svaras' Liaudanskas who would go on to be a prominent supporter of the team, often promoting Hockey Punks in interviews. Svaras would subsequently play for the team for 6 years, as did his bandmate Andrius 'Pushaz' Glušakovas. Initially, Hockey Punks focused solely on training, before ultimately joining the Lithuanian second tier in 2010. Their first season was a tough one, only winning one game whilst suffering a goal difference of -41. Three seasons later, Hockey Punks were admitted to the

Lithuania Hockey League The Lithuania Hockey League ( lt, Nacionaline ledo ritulio lyga) is the premier men's ice hockey league in Lithuania. Teams Champions * 1992 – SC Energija * 1993 – SC Energija * 1994 – SC Energija * 1995 – SC Energija * 1996 – S ...

, where they have played since. During their time in the NLRL, Hockey Punks have not won the league, however, they have lost in the playoff finals on two occasions; in 2016 and 2019. Between 2013 and 2017 former

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

star and Olympic gold medalist

Darius Kasparaitis Darius Kasparaitis (russian: Дарюс Владович Каспарайтис, ''Daryus Vladovich Kasparaitis''; born October 16, 1972) is a Lithuanian-American former professional ice hockey defenceman. He mainly played in the National Hockey ...

played sporadically for the Hockey Punks in order to qualify for the Lithuanian national team, having previously represented

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. During this time with the team Kasparaitis played 7 games for the Hockey Punks, registering 22 points. In 2020 Hockey Punks took part in the inaugural

Baltic Hockey League The Baltic Hockey League ( et, Balti Hokiliiga; lv, Baltijas hokeja līga; lt, Baltijos lygos) is a professional ice hockey competition based in the Baltic states featuring club teams from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The competition was ...

, a competition made up of two teams from each of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The team finished 2nd in their group after beating Estonian side

HC Everest HC Everest Kohtla-Järve is an ice hockey team located in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia, and playing in the Coolbet Hokiliiga, the top tier of ice hockey in Estonia. They play home games at the Kohtla-Järve Ice Hall. History HC Everest were founded ...

, but losing to Latvia's

HK Liepāja HK Liepāja are a Latvian professional ice hockey team that plays in the Optibet Hockey League, the top tier of the sport in Latvia. The team is based in Liepāja and play their home games at the Liepājas Olimpiskā Centra ice hall. History H ...

, and therefore qualified for the final round, scheduled for February 2021.

Season-by-season record

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''

Team records

Career

These are the top five scorers in Hockey Punks history. ''Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points Penalty minutes: Modestas Kartenis, 188

Season

Regular season

* Most goals in a season: Edgar Rybakov, 21(2017–18) * Most assists in a season: Edgar Rybakov, 29 (2017–18) * Most points in a season: Edgar Rybakov, 50 (2017–18) * Most penalty minutes in a season: Lukas Jonuska, 90 (2019–20)

Playoffs

* Most goals in a playoff season: Mindaugas Kieras, 6 (2017–18) * Most assists in a playoff season: Sarunas Suchomlinas, 10 (2017–18) * Most points in a playoff season: Mindaugas Kieras, 11 (2017–18) * Most penalty minutes in a playoff season: Sergei Markovsky, 31 (2018–19)

Notable players

* Gabrielius 'Svaras' Liaudanskas * Andrius 'Pushaz' Glušakovas

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hockey Punks Sport in Vilnius Ice hockey teams in Lithuania Latvian Hockey League teams Lithuanian Hockey League teams Ice hockey clubs established in 2007 2007 establishments in Lithuania