Extraliga pre-season begins Thursday

After a seemingly short time off, the 14 teams that will compete in the Czech Extraliga will soon take to the ice in preparation for the 2011-12 season. Things kick off on Thursday night, with three Extraliga clubs in action. Bílí Tygři Liberec and Benzína Litvinov will face off against each other in Litvínov. Meanwhile, defending-champion Oceláři Třinec travels 120 kilometres to Olomouc, where they will take on the local 1st League club.

Next up, Kometa Brno will host KHL club SKA St. Petersburg on Monday, August 1, followed by six more teams hitting the ice the following day. For the visiting Russian club, Brno will be the second stop on a three-game Czech tour. They play against First-League club Hradec Králové on Thursday and then against Třinec on August 3 in Přerov, the hometown of SKA coach Miloš Riha. Slavia Praha will be the last team to get into the mix, opening their pre-season schedule on Thursday, August 4 against Liberec at Zimní stadion Eden in Prague's Vršovice district.

A good portion of the pre-season schedule will include games from the European Trophy, with seven Extraliga clubs playing eight games each. The 24-team, six-nation tournament begins on August 11, with Sparta Praha and ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice playing at home and Liberec and Slavia playing abroad.

The European Trophy isn't the only international tourament that Extraliga clubs will compete in this August, however. The same day the European Trophy begins, Třinec and PSG Zlín will begin play in the Rona Cup, a three-day event in Trenčín, Slovakia that will also include three Slovak clubs. Other tournaments that will happen in Slovakia include the Tatran Cup in Poprad, in which Vítkovice Steel will compete, and the Cassovia Cup in Košice, which will be Třinec's second tournament. Extraliga clubs will also compete in tournaments and series in Switzerland, Germany, and Croatia.

The final day of pre-season action will be September 9, with the Extraliga regular season beginning a week later, on September 16.

From hokej.cz, here is the pre-season schedule for 2011-12 Extraliga clubs:

HC Oceláři Třinec

28.7. at Olomouc (1st League)
3.8. St. Petersburg (KHL) at Přerov
10.8. Lev Poprad (KHL)
11.8. Trenčín (Slovak EL) Rona Cup at Trenčín, Slovakia
12.8. Košice (Slovak EL) Rona Cup at Trenčín, Slovakia
13.8. Nitra (Slovak EL) Rona Cup at Trenčín, Slovakia
18.8. Skalica (Slovak EL)
26.8. CSKA Moscow (KHL) Cassovia Hockey Cup at Košice, Slovakia 
27.8. Košice (Slovak EL) Cassovia Hockey Cup at Košice, Slovakia 
28.8. Lev Poprad (KHL) Cassovia Hockey Cup at Košice, Slovakia 
30.8. Zlín 
6.9. Trenčín (Slovak EL)
8.9. at Pardubice

HC Vítkovice Steel

2.8. at Olomouc (1st League)
4.8. France U23
5.8. Skalica (Slovak EL)
9.8. Lev Poprad (KHL)
11.8. Acroni Jesenice (EBEL)
16.8. Trenčín (Slovak EL)
19.8. Graz (EBEL) Tatranský pohár at Poprad, Slovakia
20.8. Lev Poprad (KHL) Tatranský pohár at Poprad, Slovakia
21.8. Placement game Tatranský pohár at Poprad, Slovakia
24.8. Davos (Swiss NLA) Industrie Cup at Lyss, Switzerland
26.8. Langnau (Swiss NLA) Industrie Cup at Lyss, Switzerland
27.8. Rapperswil-Jona (Swiss NLA) Industrie Cup at Lyss, Switzerland
2.9. Medveščak Zagreb (EBEL) Memoriál Ferdo Spajiče at Zagreb, Croatia
3.9. Munich (DEL) Memoriál Ferdo Spajiče at Zagreb, Croatia
4.9. Zug (Swiss NLA) Memoriál Ferdo Spajiče at Zagreb, Croatia
6.9. at Zlín
8.9. Zlín

HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice

4.8. at Hradec Králové (1st League)
11.8. Linköping (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
13.8. HV´71 Jönköping (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
18.8. at Liberec European Trophy
20.8. at Mannheim (German DEL) European Trophy
22.8. at Tappara Tampere (Finnish SML) European Trophy
27.8. Kometa Brno European Trophy
28.8. IFK Helsinki (Finnish SML) European Trophy
6.9. at Plzeň European Trophy
8.9. Třinec

HC Slavia Praha

4.8. Liberec 
11.8. at Djurgaarden (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
13.8. at Lulea (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
14.8. at TPS Turku (Finnish SML) European Trophy
19.8. Sparta Praha European Trophy 
25.8. Jokerit Helsinki (Finnish SML) European Trophy
27.8. IFK Helsinki (Finnish SML) European Trophy
31.8. Plzeň European Trophy
4.9. at Mannheim (German DEL) European Trophy
9.9. Most (1st League)

Bílí Tygři Liberec

28.7. at Litvínov
2.8. at Sparta Praha
4.8. at Slavia Praha

6.8. Kometa Brno European Trophy
18.8. Pardubice European Trophy
25.8. at HV´71 Jönköping (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
27.8. at Linköping (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
28.8. at Kärpät Oulu (Finnish SML) European Trophy
1.9. Mannheim (German DEL) European Trophy
3.9. Lulea (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
4.9. Eisbären Berlin (German DEL) European Trophy
9.9. at Sparta Praha European Trophy

PSG Zlín

11.8. Košice (Slovak EL) Rona Cup at Trenčín, Slovakia
12.8. Nitra (Slovak EL) Rona Cup at Trenčín, Slovakia
13.8. Trenčín (Slovak EL) Rona Cup at Trenčín, Slovakia
17.8. Karlovy Vary
23.8. Skalica (Slovak EL)
25.8. Nitra (Slovak EL)
30.8. at Třinec
1.9. at Skalica (Slovak EL)
6.9. Vítkovice
8.9. at Vítkovice

HC Mountfield České Budějovice

2.8. at Kladno
4.8. Třebíč (Slovak EL)
9.8. Kladno
12.8. Plzeň European Trophy
18.8. at Kuopio (Finnish SML) European Trophy
20.8. at Kärpät Oulu (Finnish SML) European Trophy
25.8. Slovan Bratislava (Slovak EL) European Trophy
27.8. Vienna Capitals (EBEL) European Trophy
1.9. at Salzburg (EBEL) European Trophy
3.9. at Kometa Brno European Trophy
6.9. Sparta Praha European Trophy
8.9. Martin (Slovak EL)

HC Benzina Litvínov

28.7. Liberec
4.8. Kladno
9.8. at Langnau (Swiss NLA)
10.8. Servette Geneva (Swiss NLA) Hockeyades at Le Sentier, Switzerland
11.8. Lugano (Swiss NLA) Hockeyades, Le Sentier at Switzerland
13.8. Placement game Hockeyades at Le Sentier, Switzerland
16.8. at Chomutov (1st League)
18.8. Mladá Boleslav
19.8. at Kladno
23.8. at Ústí nad Labem (1st League)
25.8. at Karlovy Vary
30.8. Ústí nad Labem (1st League)
1.9. at Mladá Boleslav
6.9. Benátky nad Jizerou (1st League)
8.9. Chomutov (1st League)

HC Plzeň 1929

3.8. at Mladá Boleslav
9.8. at Karlovy Vary
12.8. at České Budějovice European Trophy
18.8. at Kärpät Oulu (Finnish SML) European Trophy
20.8. at Kuopio (Finnish SML) European Trophy
25.8. Vienna Capitals (EBEL) European Trophy
27.8. Slovan Bratislava (Slovak EL) European Trophy
28.8. Tappara Tampere (Finnish SML) European Trophy
31.8. at Slavia Praha European Trophy
6.9. Pardubice European Trophy
8.9. Karlovy Vary

HC Energie Karlovy Vary

2.8. at Chomutov (1st League)
4.8. Kadaň (1st League)
9.8. Plzeň
11.8. Ústí nad Labem  (1st League)
14.8. Ufa (KHL)
16.8. at Skalica (Slovak EL)
17.8. at Zlín
18.8. at Nitra (Slovak EL)
19.8. at Linz (EBEL)
23.8. Chomutov (1st League)
25.8. Litvínov
1.9. at Davos (Swiss NLA)
3.9. at Lugano (Swiss NLA)
4.9. at Ambri-Piotta (Swiss NLA)
8.9. at Plzeň

HC Kometa Brno

1.8. St. Petersburg (KHL)
2.8. at Havlíčkův Brod (1st League)
4.8. at Slovan Bratislava (Slovak EL)
13.8. Linköping (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
14.8. HV´71 Jönköping (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
16.8. at Liberec (European Trophy)
19.8. Mannheim (German DEL) European Trophy at Innsbruck, Austria
21.8. at Salzburg (EBEL) European Trophy
27.8. at Pardubice European Trophy
28.8. Jokerit Helsinki (Finnish SML) European Trophy
3.9. České Budějovice European Trophy
6.9. Skalica (Slovak EL)
8.9. Slovan Bratislava (Slovak EL)

HC Sparta Praha

2.8. Liberec
5.8. Mladá Boleslav
11.8.  HV´71 Jönköping (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
13.8. at Djurgaarden (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
14.8. at Lulea (Swedish SEL) European Trophy
20.8. at Slavia Praha European Trophy
25.8. IFK Helsinki (Finnish SML) European Trophy
27.8. Jokerit Helsinki (Finnish SML) European Trophy
3.9. Eisbären Berlin (German DEL) European Trophy
4.9. at České Budějovice European Trophy
9.9. at Liberec

HC Vagnerplast Kladno

2.8. České Budějovice
4.8. at Litvínov
9.8. at České Budějovice
15.8. Ufa (KHL)
16.8. Ústí nad Labem (1st League)
18.8. Wolfsburg (German DEL)
19.8. Litvínov
23.8. at Crimmitschau (German 2nd BL)
25.8. Mladá Boleslav
30.8. at Landshut (German 2nd BL)
1.9. at Ústí nad Labem (1st League)
8.9. at Mladá Boleslav

BK Mladá Boleslav

3.8. Plzeň
5.8. at Sparta Praha
9.8. Litoměřice (1st League)
11.8. at Hradec Králové
18.8. at Litvínov
23.8. Benátky nad Jizerou (1st League)
25.8. at Kladno
30.8. at Benátky nad Jizerou (1st League)
1.9. Litvínov
8.9. Kladno