photo: IIHF / Vanna Antonello
Last season Romania was on the cusp of a place among the world´s elite nations for the first time since 1977. Will their rich vein of form continue as host of the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A in Sfantu Gheorghe, Romania.
"Playing on home ice at this level is going to be the highlight of my national team career and something I didn't think would happen," said Romania´s Roberto Gliga.
With two goals and a couple of assists, Gliga led his team in scoring in last year´s Division I Group A in Italy´s Bolzano. Romania then roared back from two lopsided defeats to finish fourth, level on points with promoted Slovenia in second and bronze medalists Italy.
One year on, Attila-Ferenc Nagy, the President of the Romanian Ice Hockey Federation is targetting a medal. Can the perennial underdogs Romania prove that last season wasn´t just a flash in the pan?
"Playing at home might bring added pressure but this should motivate us even more with our fans behind us. I see this event as a way to continue our progress over the last few years, but also as a very good opportunity to promote ice hockey in Romania," said Gliga.
Sepsi Arena, located in Sfantu Gheorghe, 210 kilometres north of the country´s capital Bucharest is hosting this year´s Division IA event. Inaugurated in 2017, ice was temporarily laid at the venue for the first time in December last year. Next door, a legacy for ice sports is taking shape in this town of just under 50,000 residents. A 2,000-seater ice arena is expected to be completed by October 2027. This will mark the permanent return of a team skating in the domestic league for first time since 2003 as Romania aims to widen the appeal of the sport.
Last season, 16 players on Romania´s World Championship roster were born and raised in two small eastern Transylvanian towns, Miercurea Ciuc and Gheorgheni. So rich is the output that nine players born in the Romanian county of Harghita represented Hungary´s men´s team this season. However, beyond these two hockey hotbeds, there is significant room for improvement.
On last season´s World Championship team Gliga was the only player hailing from Bucharest. He began his career at Steaua Bucharest, a team with a bulging trophy cabinet of 40 championship titles. However, since Steaua´s last league title in 2006, hockey in Bucharest has faced significant challenges. From 2012 until December 2016, the capital of Romania was without an ice rink. Now with two rinks in operation, better days might be ahead for Steaua after finishing third in the Romanian championship this year.
"Bucharest is where I was born, where I grew up and where I started with hockey so it will always have a special place in my heart. Watching my dad play for Steaua when they were still the best team in Romania and attending the games versus Miercurea Ciuc gave me a lot of motivation as a junior. I believe a strong presence in Bucharest and other cities will be vital for the future growth of ice hockey in Romania," said Gliga who just completed his tenth season playing for Corona Brasov.
"Playing on home ice at this level is going to be the highlight of my national team career and something I didn't think would happen," said Romania´s Roberto Gliga.
With two goals and a couple of assists, Gliga led his team in scoring in last year´s Division I Group A in Italy´s Bolzano. Romania then roared back from two lopsided defeats to finish fourth, level on points with promoted Slovenia in second and bronze medalists Italy.
One year on, Attila-Ferenc Nagy, the President of the Romanian Ice Hockey Federation is targetting a medal. Can the perennial underdogs Romania prove that last season wasn´t just a flash in the pan?
"Playing at home might bring added pressure but this should motivate us even more with our fans behind us. I see this event as a way to continue our progress over the last few years, but also as a very good opportunity to promote ice hockey in Romania," said Gliga.
Sepsi Arena, located in Sfantu Gheorghe, 210 kilometres north of the country´s capital Bucharest is hosting this year´s Division IA event. Inaugurated in 2017, ice was temporarily laid at the venue for the first time in December last year. Next door, a legacy for ice sports is taking shape in this town of just under 50,000 residents. A 2,000-seater ice arena is expected to be completed by October 2027. This will mark the permanent return of a team skating in the domestic league for first time since 2003 as Romania aims to widen the appeal of the sport.
Last season, 16 players on Romania´s World Championship roster were born and raised in two small eastern Transylvanian towns, Miercurea Ciuc and Gheorgheni. So rich is the output that nine players born in the Romanian county of Harghita represented Hungary´s men´s team this season. However, beyond these two hockey hotbeds, there is significant room for improvement.
On last season´s World Championship team Gliga was the only player hailing from Bucharest. He began his career at Steaua Bucharest, a team with a bulging trophy cabinet of 40 championship titles. However, since Steaua´s last league title in 2006, hockey in Bucharest has faced significant challenges. From 2012 until December 2016, the capital of Romania was without an ice rink. Now with two rinks in operation, better days might be ahead for Steaua after finishing third in the Romanian championship this year.
"Bucharest is where I was born, where I grew up and where I started with hockey so it will always have a special place in my heart. Watching my dad play for Steaua when they were still the best team in Romania and attending the games versus Miercurea Ciuc gave me a lot of motivation as a junior. I believe a strong presence in Bucharest and other cities will be vital for the future growth of ice hockey in Romania," said Gliga who just completed his tenth season playing for Corona Brasov.
18-year-old Roberto Gliga (left) together with his father, Marius Gliga, a former national team player and previously General Secretary of the Romanian Ice Hockey Federation.
photo: © Miroslaw Ring
At just 16 years old, Gliga made his World Championship debut in April 2010, scoring a memorable hat-trick in his third game. The center has since been a vital cog in Romania´s march upwards following winning promotion from Division II Group A in 2017. Notably, eight members of that gold medal winning roster were still part of last year´s team.
"I believe team spirit has been one of the biggest factors in all the progress we've made. We've had a great group along the way, then added players from the younger generation such as Tamas Reszegh, Balazs Peter, the Rokaly brothers, Szilard and Norbert to name a few. Another big part of our success has also been the naturalized imports added along the way," said Gliga.
Romania hast hosted World Championship tournaments three times (Division II 2001,2008,2017) this century, winning gold on each occasion. Their most recent tournament of similar magnitude to this year´s Division IA event took place in Galati in 1979, when Romania finished third in Pool B and qualified for the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Heading into this year´s event, the omens are good. Three Romanian teams dominate in the joint Hungarian/Romanian league with national team players in key-roles. On paper, the current Romania team is stronger than last year, but playing around 100 games a season takes it toll on a roster that last year was the joint-oldest team in Division IA.
Besides a favourable outcome out on the ice, what legacy does Gliga hope this event will leave for Romanian hockey?
"I hope it will bring more positive attention to the sport from the authorities and politicians wishing to invest more in its development. I also hope that for the kids playing hockey, it will boost and motivate them in a similar way to the games I watched in Bucharest when I was their age," said Gliga.
"I believe team spirit has been one of the biggest factors in all the progress we've made. We've had a great group along the way, then added players from the younger generation such as Tamas Reszegh, Balazs Peter, the Rokaly brothers, Szilard and Norbert to name a few. Another big part of our success has also been the naturalized imports added along the way," said Gliga.
Romania hast hosted World Championship tournaments three times (Division II 2001,2008,2017) this century, winning gold on each occasion. Their most recent tournament of similar magnitude to this year´s Division IA event took place in Galati in 1979, when Romania finished third in Pool B and qualified for the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Heading into this year´s event, the omens are good. Three Romanian teams dominate in the joint Hungarian/Romanian league with national team players in key-roles. On paper, the current Romania team is stronger than last year, but playing around 100 games a season takes it toll on a roster that last year was the joint-oldest team in Division IA.
Besides a favourable outcome out on the ice, what legacy does Gliga hope this event will leave for Romanian hockey?
"I hope it will bring more positive attention to the sport from the authorities and politicians wishing to invest more in its development. I also hope that for the kids playing hockey, it will boost and motivate them in a similar way to the games I watched in Bucharest when I was their age," said Gliga.