The Rail Yard Dawgs announced on Tuesday that Vojtěch Žemlička would be joining head coach Dan Bremner’s coaching staff for the 2021-2022 season.
Žemlička played in 195 professional games for ten different teams over the course of five seasons. The Prague, Czech Republic native suited up in 98 SPHL games during his career, including 40 appearances for Roanoke. The left-shot defenseman recorded one goal and 11 assists during his tenure with the Dawgs, most notably a four-assist performance on January 5, 2019 in a thrilling 6-5 win over the Macon Mayhem. Last season, Žemlička won the FPHL’s Ignite Championship with the Columbus River Dragons, alongside current Dawgs Mac Jansen, Matt O’Dea, Gehrett Sargis, and C.J. Stubbs. Now, Žemlička will head behind the boards with Bremner, his former coach.
“I am very excited to be working with Zemmy (Žemlička) this season,” said Coach Bremner about his new assistant coach. “Being a natural defenseman, I think he is going to add a different element to practices and gameplay for the Dawgs. Having Zemmy in Roanoke not only benefits the Dawgs, but helps grow the game in Roanoke. He has shown a continued passion for developing youth hockey players in the Roanoke Valley.”
“I am so excited to be back in Roanoke, and I feel honored to be given this opportunity to be part of the Rail Yard Dawgs organization in a different role,” said Žemlička. “I know how great this organization is from playing here in the past including the great staff, best fans in the league, and community support. I’ve always wanted to coach after playing and I feel very lucky to be able to assist Dan on the bench because he’s a great coach and leader with years of experience and I know I can learn a lot from him.”
Roanoke hits the ice for its first home game in 601 days on Friday, October 15 at 7:05 P.M. against the Fayetteville Marksmen. Opening Night is sponsored by Haley Toyota of Roanoke. Season tickets, packages, group tickets, and single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by contacting the Dawgs’ front office at 540-266-7343.