Story Summary
Olimpija Ljubljana defenceman Rozle Bohinc has been suspended for two games and fined €400 by the win2day ICE Hockey League Department of Player Safety following an illegal check to the head or neck of Milano Hockey Club forward Nick Caamano.
The incident occurred in Milano on Sunday, when Bohinc was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct. The league’s Player Safety Committee subsequently reviewed the video and classified the play as a Category 1, or “Careless”, case requiring supplementary discipline.
Bohinc will miss Olimpija’s away game against HC Falkensteiner Pustertal on Wednesday, 11 November, and the home fixture against EC Red Bull Salzburg on Friday, 13 November. The ruling notes that Bohinc is not a repeat offender.
Key Facts
- Rozle Bohinc of Olimpija Ljubljana was suspended for two games and fined €400 by the win2day ICE Hockey League Department of Player Safety.
- Bohinc received a major penalty and a game misconduct for an illegal check to the head or neck of Milano Hockey Club forward Nick Caamano.
- The incident took place at 27:32 during Olimpija Ljubljana’s game in Milano on Sunday.
- The Player Safety Committee classified the play as a Category 1 “Careless” incident for supplementary discipline.
- The league found that Bohinc’s right shoulder made direct and forceful initial contact with Caamano’s head.
- Bohinc will miss Olimpija’s games at HC Falkensteiner Pustertal on 11 November and against EC Red Bull Salzburg on 13 November.
- The disciplinary ruling states that Bohinc is not a repeat offender.
IHM Discussion
The two-game ban follows a detailed finding on how the contact unfolded rather than simply the fact that Caamano was hit high. The league concluded that Caamano had just received a chip pass and had little or no time to prepare for the approaching check or adjust his body position.
Bohinc was judged to have read the play and skated directly towards Caamano before stepping into the bodycheck. The ruling accepts that Bohinc may have intended to deliver a legal hit, but identifies the execution as the issue: his right shoulder struck Caamano’s head first and with significant force, with subsequent body contact not altering the primary point of impact.
Player Safety also described the check as avoidable. Its reasoning was that Bohinc had sufficient space and opportunity to choose a legal shoulder-to-shoulder or chest-to-body route, rather than closing on a straight line that put Caamano’s head in the path of the initial contact. Under IIHF Rule 48, that first contact to the head or neck made the check illegal.
Why It Matters
The immediate effect is straightforward for Olimpija: Bohinc is unavailable for two scheduled ICEHL games, beginning with the trip to Pustertal before Salzburg visit Ljubljana. A two-game suspension is a defined absence, but it also follows a game in which Bohinc had already been removed through a major penalty and game misconduct.
More broadly, the decision sets out the league’s assessment of a familiar but important distinction in bodychecking. A player receiving a pass can be vulnerable, yet the ruling places responsibility on the player initiating contact to select a legal angle and ensure the head is not the first point of contact. In this case, Player Safety regarded the available space and Bohinc’s approach as material to its conclusion that the contact could have been avoided.
Fan Pulse
For Olimpija supporters, the practical concern is the short-term loss of a defenceman for games against Pustertal and Salzburg. The disciplinary explanation also leaves little ambiguity about why the sanction was imposed: the league found direct, forceful initial contact to Caamano’s head and judged the check avoidable.
The ruling does, however, distinguish this incident from a repeat-offender case. The sanction is tied to this specific play, its force, its point of contact and the route Bohinc took into it.
Mini Q&A
Why was Rozle Bohinc suspended?
The league found that Bohinc delivered an illegal check to the head or neck of Milano forward Nick Caamano, with Bohinc’s right shoulder making the initial and forceful contact to Caamano’s head.
How long is Bohinc unavailable for Olimpija Ljubljana?
Bohinc is suspended for two games and will miss the fixture at HC Falkensteiner Pustertal on 11 November and the game against EC Red Bull Salzburg on 13 November.
What fine did Bohinc receive?
Bohinc was fined €400 alongside the two-game suspension.
Coach Mark Comment
At 27:32, Bohinc had a choice that arrived in a very short space: Caamano had only just taken the chip pass, while Bohinc had enough ice to alter the route of his check. That is the detail that makes the league’s explanation so clear.
A player can read a pass well and still have to make the last adjustment. Coming through the opponent’s body asks for timing and control; arriving straight through the head turns a legitimate chance to separate man from puck into a penalty and, here, two missed games. Caamano’s lack of time to prepare does not remove Bohinc’s need to manage that final step into contact.
What Comes Next
Bohinc is due to serve the first game of his suspension when Olimpija visit HC Falkensteiner Pustertal on Wednesday, 11 November. He will also be unavailable when EC Red Bull Salzburg play in Ljubljana on Friday, 13 November.
IHM Final View
Rozle Bohinc’s suspension rests on a specific disciplinary judgement: the league found that his right shoulder made forceful initial contact with Nick Caamano’s head and that Bohinc had the opportunity to deliver the check legally. The result is a two-game ban, a €400 fine and two confirmed absences for Olimpija Ljubljana.