The Zug U21 Elite Juniors are putting on a spectacular show. In their eight matches so far, they have scored 58 goals – 37 for and 21 against Zug. Added to this is the turbulent course of the season: three defeats were followed by six victories for the team of new head coach Reto Suri. “We are a very young team and have found our feet after an unexpectedly weak start,” explains Nik Petrovic. The 19-year-old is Zug’s top scorer with six goals and five assists. This makes him number three in the league. “I feel very comfortable in the leadership role,” he says.
After three defeats at the start of the season, the oldest EVZ juniors racked up six wins in a row.
In his home country of Slovenia, ice hockey is not one of the most popular sports – even Nik Petrovic, who is 1.88 meters tall, once played basketball. He found his way onto the ice thanks to his grandmother: “When I was a child, we spent a lot of time together. Once we went ice skating. There were flyers lying around the ice rink saying that the club was looking for young players – that’s how it all started.” The small Alpine country is now catching up. The U18 and U20 national teams recently made it into the second-highest division, with Nik Petrovic playing a part. Last season, he also played two international matches with the senior national team. Now he is hoping to be selected for the 2026 World Championship in Zurich and Fribourg. He also made his mark on the international stage with EVZ, playing in the Champions Hockey League games in Luleå and Grenoble this summer. Fittingly, the French team’s sporting director, Edo Terglav, is also the Slovenian national coach. “I am very grateful to Michael Liniger for allowing me to play there,” says Nik Petrovic.
He wants to remain on the radar of the NL team’s managers with strong performances. Next weekend, he will be playing with the U21 elite team in two home games at the OYM in Cham: on Friday against HC Ambrì-Piotta (8:30 p.m.) and on Sunday against HC Davos (2:30 p.m.). “We are on a roll and want to continue our winning streak,” says Nik Petrovic.
