HK Olimpija, the Alps League team to which the Penguins loaned prospect Jan Drozg this offseason, had to postpone its upcoming games after an undisclosed number of players on the team tested positive for coronavirus.
Drozg, 21, has two goals and five assists in the three games he's played with Olimpija since the loan agreement began on Oct. 12.
"I was here one month and we've only played three games because of the virus," Drozg told me on Tuesday. "Some of the players on the team have positive tests, that's why we canceled the games and the practices."
Drozg said that when some players on the team started to show symptoms, the entire team was tested. Players who tested positive must quarantine for 10 days.
Drozg said that he's been tested four times, all with negative results.
The Alps League is made up of teams from Italy, Austria, and Drozg's native Slovenia. The league as a whole is a weak league, weaker than the ECHL and about on par with other low-level European leagues like the British league. As a Slovenian player, Drozg's options for leagues while waiting for the AHL season to start were limited because of import rules in other leagues, and some other leagues not accepting short-term contracts. Drozg's loan to Olimpija allows him to leave and return to North America when training camps start, or sooner if he wishes.
Drozg's team Olimpija sits in first place in the league.
"(The Alps League) is not as good as (the ECHL) but I think our team is better than an East Coast team," Drozg explained. "I think we have a lot of really good players. I think we are a pretty strong team for that league. It's kind of fun to play. It's not the hockey like I was used to in America, but everyone knows I didn't have a lot of choice (of where to play) this season. I just want to play some games, no matter how good they are, just to get on the ice before the American League or East Coast League started."
It's not an ideal place for Drozg to play, but he gets first-line minutes, plays on the power play and even the penalty kill, a unit he didn't come close to in the AHL.
"I even play shorthanded here, so that's kind of interesting," he laughed. "I thought I was pretty good on the penalty-kill here. It's only three games, so it's kind of hard to say. I just be on the ice and try to do as much as possible while I'm out there, because you never know when it's the last time you might be out there because of the situation right now. I'm happy for every game and practice I can go (to)."
Drozg split last season, his first as a professional in North America, between the AHL and ECHL. He scored 13 goals and 10 assists in 24 games with Wheeling, and five goals and three assists in 32 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. When I asked new Wilkes-Barre head coach J.D. Forrest (who worked as an assistant coach last season) which forwards he's expecting to make strides and have big years next season, Drozg was one of the three he named. Mike Vellucci, who was head coach of Wilkes-Barre last season, told me that Drozg "has all the talent, he just needs to learn how to play the game the right way and play every shift like it’s his last shift."
The AHL recently announced a target start date for next season of Feb. 5. The ECHL is planning a split-league format, with a select number of teams (including the Nailers) beginning play on Dec. 11, and the remaining participating teams beginning play a month later. Drozg is hoping to be able to move back and play and North America -- no matter which league -- as soon as he can.
"I hope I can come back to America as soon as possible," he said. "If the East Coast League starts before the American League, of course I want to go play there. If camps start, I want to go for the camps. It's important to play in the best level of hockey as possible."
