KUALA LUMPUR: For the first time ever, Tenaga Nasional have powered up for the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) with a foreign player.
This comes after the electrifying South Korean, Jang Jong Hyun, who is one of the top drag flickers in the world, rewired himself with Tenaga after making Terengganu a powerhouse in recent years.
Now, Tenaga aim to win three titles - Charity Shield, League and TNB Cup (overall) in the MHL which begins on Thursday. Tenaga last won a title in 2022 after defeating Terengganu 3-2 in the TNB Cup final.
Jong Hyun, 40, was the MHL's highest scorer in 2020 with 23 goals for Terengganu, and last year he was the second highest with 29 goals for the East coast team.
Tenaga will also be parading 10 national players in Ramadan Rosli, Marhan Jalil, Firhan Ashari, Shello Silverius, Faiz Helmi Jali, Amirul Hamizan Azahar, Norsyafiq Sumantri, Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal, Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi and Shahril Saabah.
Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini said today it is the first time since the MHL was inaugurated in 1985 that they have hired a foreign player to beef up their defence and also deliver goals from penalty corners.
"Penalty corners are very important in matches and Jang is regarded as the best in the world.
"We don't have a good drag flicker in the team and our players, as well as TNB Thunderbolts and juniors, will be able to learn from Jang the right way to take a penalty corner drag flick.
"We are serious in our challenge to win all three titles in the MHL with the presence of Jang and 10 national players.
"We will face a strong challenge from last year's double champions Terengganu, Maybank, UiTM and debutants Liaoning Club of China who have several national players."
Tenaga will open their campaign against former champions Maybank on Friday at the National Hockey Stadium.
The teams in the men's MHL are Nurinsafi Sporting, Armed Forces, TNB Thunderbolts and UiTM HA-KPT while making their debut are Jiwa Mohan Antbees, Young Elephants of Pahang and Kuala Lumpur City.
Liaoning will also make their debut in the women's league, which comprises 10 teams. The other teams are Mutiara Impian-MSSPP-PSHA, MSP-PHP-SSNP, Negri Sembilan, PDRM Blue Warriors, KL City, CS Mustang HT, Malaysian University, QNET Phoenix and Kedah.