In today's episode, we had the pleasure to sit down with professional hockey player and Liiga import for Jukurit, Alex Berardinelli.

Aleksandr Petrov (Finnish Scout/Journalist) and our team spent the day with Alex in the club's hometown of Mikkeli, Finland.

We toured the home arena, the ice hockey clubs facilities (locker room, training, etc), and exploring around town in Mikkeli. We hope you enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Alex Berardinelli.

• Alex Berardinelli- Growing Up, Early Beginnings of Hockey in Pittsburgh
• Transition into Junior Hockey in the US
• From Juniors to NCAA for Colorado College (high quality hockey + education)
• Leadership experience as a Captain at the NCAA level
• Transition to pro hockey
• Level of play and style in the ECHL
• Alex story on how his hockey agent helped him land 1st contract in Europe + communication with team
• Experience living and playing in France
• Skill of European hockey and how it differs from NA style of game
• Move to pro hockey in Finland from France
• Acclimating to living in Finland day-to-day
• Winning Mestis championship in 1st season in Finland with IPK
• What it's like to play in Liiga for Jukurit? One of top leagues in Europe
• Competitiveness in Liiga amongst teams
• Advice to other players looking to play in Europe
• Fun Blitz Questions
• Closing

Links:

Have aspirations to play hockey in Europe? Visit: https://www.PlayHockeyInEurope.com

Episode 4: In this episode, we focus on the benefits of playing hockey in Europe. This episode is specifically geared for parents, mentors, and coaches of players who are interested in exploring the route of playing in Europe. We touch on the main benefits players can expect having seen countless players go through the same process successfully over our many years of working with them. Enjoy this episode!

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Show Notes:

(0:00) Intro

(0:50) PHIE Podcast Opening Music

(1:25) Opening

(1:51) Why even Play Hockey in Europe? Expand your worldview, enjoy a rich life experience on/off the ice, quality hockey, and much more

(6:14) Comparing the Financial Cost vs Playing Elsewhere

(11:00) Overall high quality of life in Europe

(11:56) High satisfaction with the experience from players who've played overseas

(13:22) Exploring Options first in the process, then making the best informed decision for your hockey career based on that

(15:38) Closing

Episode 3: In this episode, we'll talk all about how much players can make. With Europe having a wide array of leagues from the top elite leagues down to the lower tiers, there is naturally quite a big range. We help break it down so that depending on your general level, you'll walk away with a good idea of the levels based on a player's experience. Enjoy!

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Show Notes:

(0:00) Intro

(0:57) PHIE Podcast Opening Music

(1:31) Factors that impact salary ranges across Europe

(5:34) Elite tiers

(6:31) Upper-middle tiers

(7:12) Middle tiers

(8:32) Lower tiers

(10:10) Compensation beyond salary- housing, transportation, equipment, travel perks, and so on

(11:07) Hockey salaries differ from club to club and even can year to year within the same club (budget, sponsorships, etc)

(12:30) Important question: how much do you make vs how much can you save in-season?

(14:20) Closing

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Links:

Have aspirations to play hockey in Europe? Visit: https://www.PlayHockeyInEurope.com

Episode 2: In this episode, we provide an insider's view into Russia's top hockey league. From world-class hockey to various stories that players/coaches who've spent time in the KHL share, there's no shortage of adventure in the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League). Our team put a ton of legwork into this piece to ensure we helped cover the league diligently based on the first-hand experience of imports who have played here.

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Show Notes:

(0:00) Intro

(1:00) PHIE Podcast Opening Music

(1:31) KHL History

(2:37) Level of Play

(3:59) Salary + Compensation

(8:15) Import Players Experience- The Good & The Bad

(15:10) Intense Travel Schedule In-Season

(15:50) Russian Culture- be kind to locals, learn some of the language (phrases), and adapt to customs.

(18:45) Russian Hockey Training- intensity, training, and more

(21:46) Can I tryout to play here? Short answer: No - we'll explain why

(24:09) KHL Hockey Season- regular season games + playoffs

(27:00) Off Season for players

(29:17) Strength of Russian players today in the NHL and the KHL

(30:18) Closing

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Links:

Have aspirations to play hockey in Europe? Visit: https://www.PlayHockeyInEurope.com

Episode 1: In this episode, we discuss the pros and cons of playing minor pro hockey in North America versus Europe. This episode can benefit prospective players as they decide which route may (or may not) be best for them in their hockey path in terms of where they should play next.

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Show Notes:

(0:00) Intro

(0:24) PHIE Podcast Opening Music

(0:51) Who can benefit from listening to this episode?

(2:05) Should you play in North America or Europe?

(4:00) Day-to-day experience on and off the ice

(5:46) Hockey Career Trajectory + Preferences

(8:01) Finances

(11:26) Everyone's Situation is Unique

(14:24) Closing

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Links:

Have aspirations to play hockey in Europe? Visit: https://www.PlayHockeyInEurope.com

Welcome to the Play Hockey in Europe Podcast, your go-to podcast for all things ice hockey in Europe!

From European hockey league deep dives, insider knowledge on various countries + tiers, answering common questions that players have, and first-hand interviews with pro players/staff across Europe, the PHIE podcast is sure to provide you with a ton of value!

We cut through the noise and provide you with information based on years of our teams experience across the continent.

Whether you are a hockey player with ambitions to play at the next level or you're a passionate fan, you're going to learn a ton from this podcast. Enjoy!