The call of duty in HIL — Belgian champion Hendrickx eyes another trophy, this time with Kalinga Lancers

His scorching dragflicks that have tormented defences for nearly a decade might have painted a starkly contrasting picture, but Alexander Hendrickx is a chill guy who is happy playing Call of Duty and Rocket League on his PlayStation.

He says he might even bring it to India when he visits for the Hockey India League (HIL).

Hendrickx is embracing change too, and hence there’s no trace of any feistiness that one might associate with a serial goalscorer of his pedigree. He comes across as assured even without it.

The past 18 months have been strange.

Hendrickx holds an enviable cabinet with Belgium, including the Olympic gold, the World Cup gold, and the EuroHockey Championships gold. At one point, Belgium held the three titles simultaneously.

But since July 2024, the nation has relinquished its Olympic title and returned empty-handed from the Euros after medals in four consecutive editions from 2017 to 2023.

To win continuously and then lose grasp at the pinnacle of the sport has been a tough pill to swallow. To make matters worse, multiple graduates from its golden generation – Gauthier Boccard, Felix Denayer, Loick Luypaert, Florent van Aubel and John-John Dohmen – called time on their careers after Paris 2024.

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Hendrickx has been front and centre as Belgium ushers in a new era.

“I think[at] the Euros, which were earlier in the summer, we didn’t have our best result. But also, I think it was logical because you had eight players stopping and eight young guys playing their first tournament. It’s a bit of a natural transition as well.

“If a lot of older players stop and you become one of the older, experienced players yourself, it’s your job to help the younger guys improve and feel welcomed. And they also know that if they have problems or if they have questions, they’re always welcome to ask me. And I try to take my responsibilities on that thing,” Hendrickx says.

Hendrickx and Belgium can only look upon the progress in transition, which is evident from the Sultan Azlan Shah title in Malaysia and three wins out of four in the new FIH Pro League season. The World Cup next year, though, is what matters in the grander scheme.

Purple patch in club hockey

Hendrickx’s flair goes beyond internationals, spilling over to club hockey. This year, he fired three Penalty Corners for Belgian club Gantois against Dutch side Bloemendaal, becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in the EuroHockey League final. This was his second title too, with the first coming for the Netherlands’ Pinoke in 2024.

“No one expected us to win. I knew we had a good side, so I was always hopeful. But for some players in the team, it was the first time they played. They were really stressed. Then, they grew more and more confident, and we won the Belgian competition, surfing on a wave of confidence,” Hendrickx says.

For the 32-year-old, who is thought by many to have completed the sport, the HIL title is the one feather missing from his cap.

In HIL comes a hurdle that is distinct from what Hendrickx has conquered in Europe, where the club competitions run for 30-35 weeks. This gives more room to adjust and time to gel in, a luxury not extended by the four-week-long HIL.

“The Belgian league is a bit different from the Indian league because we have clubs. And then the clubs also have youth teams. So, I started at the age of five with Antwerp. You start in the age-group teams, and you go for the same club the whole time until you’re in the first team. It’s also a bigger period, a bigger window.

“I think the HIL is a nice platform for Indian players who are already good to develop even further. You have the best players in the world wanting to go to the HIL. That’s a bit of what I did in Belgium when I was young. We had some Australians coming to the club for a year or for two years. You try to learn from them, and then other guys come in,” Hendrickx says.

Hope for success with Kalinga Lancers

Hendrickx joined HIL only last season after it was refurbished, joining Kalinga Lancers.

In his first campaign, he scored seven goals, all from PCs, an impressive tally but falling short of his lofty standards. The Lancers, too, ended well short of qualifying for the semifinals despite scoring the most goals (42).

Out of Hendrickx’s 131 goals in international hockey since 2013, 115 have come from short corners. Belgium has won nearly 80 per cent of the games where Hendrickx has made it to the scoresheet.

Last season, three of the top five scorers in HIL were PC specialists.

In a league thriving on short corner conversions, the Lancers’ success invariably will hinge on Hendrickx’s yields from the top of the circle. At 20.4 per cent conversions, Lancers were the fourth-best in 2024, a number that can shoot higher if Hendrickx finds his mojo.

“I try to be open and listen. I have a lot of different trainers, and we analyse a lot, and then together, we come to some solutions. Earlier, I used to do the same thing all the time, but now I try to vary more as well. Not only by varying positions, but also by sometimes playing a variation to open up some space or stuff like that. Because if we, as a drag flicker, do the same, people are going to run it down, and they will know.

“So yeah, I think we have to improve and keep developing as dragflickers ourselves. It’s not only about power now because the first-runners run in a good line. So, you can do power, but I think it’s now more important to try to beat the first runners. As drag flickers, maybe some more faking the goalies, doing some other stuff. I’m not going to tell you everything I train right now,” Hendrickx says.

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Though the Lancers topped the scoring chart, their porous defence was also the worst among the eight teams and conceded 46 goals. This is a gap the side has plugged this season, Hendrickx feels.

“I think our corner defence specifically [lacked]. I think we calculated that we conceded two goals on average last season. I think we didn’t have a world-class first runner. And yeah, I also think now we have two really good coaches as well. I think that will help. I know, because I know Pascal [Kina] from my club as well. And I know he really likes details,” Hendrickx says.

For all of the Lancers’ fixes, Hendrickx serves as the linchpin at both ends.

Circumstances on the Belgian side have nudged him towards leadership, and the Lancers — aiming for the top four after a sixth-place finish last season — might just reap the rewards for it.

Published on Dec 29, 2025