With the Men’s Hockey events set to kick off on Wednesday in Milan, it might be time to review one of the true underdogs in the competition. Reigning bronze medal winners: Team Slovakia.
For those raising their eyebrows at that fact, yes, Slovakia finished in third place in 2022 in Beijing. 17-year-old Juraj Slafkovsky won tournament MVP led all players in scoring with seven goals in seven games. 28-year-old goaltender, Patrik Rybár, put up an absurd .966 save percentage and allowed less than a goal a game with a 0.86 goals against average. Their biggest win in Olympic history came in the shootout; a 3-2 result over the Americans.
Rybár made five saves to shutout the shootout, former Bruin Peter Cehlárik scored the only goal necessary, Slovakia won their first ever Olympic medal in Men’s Hockey. Good times.
Not to mention that the hated Czechs failed to qualify for the medal rounds after being defeated 4-2 by Switzerland in their first game of elimination hockey.
The odds are now even more stacked against the Slovaks. With NHL players being allowed to attend the Olympic Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi, the tournament is flooded with high-end talent.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Slovakia forward Martin Pospisil pointed out to Danny Austin of the Calgary Herald in early February. “We’ll try to play hard and physical. We have some big bodies, so play simple and we know there’s a lot of good teams.”
Yes, Slovakia has 2022 first overall pick Slafkovsky as well as the guy going right after him in that draft in defenceman Simon Nemec, but they don’t have the depth of skill that teams like Canada, USA, and Sweden are rolling out.
But that’s the fun of high-level hockey in a tournament format. (Almost) any game is winnable—and Slovakia has the benefit of lowered expectations and the lightened pressure that comes with it.
A few storylines to follow from each position.
Forwards
Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal Canadiens (NHL)
Dalibor Dvorsky, St. Louis Blues (NHL)
Martin Pospisil, Calgary Flames (NHL)
Pavol Regenda, San Jose Sharks (NHL)
Tomas Tatar, EV Zug (NL)
Lukas Cingel, Brno Kometa (Czech Extraliga)
Peter Cehlarik, Leksands IF (SHL)
Milos Kelemen, Dynamo Pardubice (Czech Extraliga)
Adam Liska, Severestal (KHL)
Oliver Okuliar, Skelleftea AIK (SHL)
Adam Ruzicka, Moskva (KHL)
Matus Sukel, Verva (Czech Extraliga)
Samuel Takac, Bratislava (Tipsport Extraliga)
Libor Hudacek, Ocelari Trinec (Czech Extraliga)
Juraj Slafkovsky
An Olympic MVP at 17, Slafkovsky is primed for another strong performance at 21.
Riding shotgun for Former Flame, Adam Ruzicka, Juraj will be on the ice for every choice deployment available to head coach and 14-season NHL veteran Vladimir Orszagh.
Slovakia’s Olympic fate entirely rests on Slafkovsky’s ability to dominate down low and off the boards. If he flickers, good night Slovaks.
Martin Pospisil
A preseason concussion at the hands of a Derek Forbort uppercut (or two) kept the speedy 26-year-old agitator out of the lineup until late January. Still, Martin’s home country knows what they’re getting in the six-foot-two, 176-pound menace.
Between puck recoveries, forced turnovers and extracurriculars between the whistles, Martin is going to make the best of this tournament.
Adam Ruzicka
The 26-year-old center didn’t leave the NHL on the best of terms.
A massive six-foot-four, 226-pound frame, high-level hands and a hammer of a snap shot; Ruzicka has the tools of a top-six NHL center and has produced at a point-per-game pace over small stretches while with the Calgary Flames.
People grow up at their own speed and personal development isn’t always linear, but this tournament serves as an audition to get back into the NHL discussion.
His former teammate and fellow countryman spoke on Ruzicka’s situation in 2025 in an interview with Slovakian publication Hetrik SK.
“From what I know of him, he will think about this deeply and take it seriously, as a great life lesson,” reflected his former and future teammate. “He will realize it was stupid and prove he has what it takes to play at the highest level.”
A strong 2026 Olympic performance would help a lot.
Defence
Erik Cernak, Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)
Simon Nemec, New Jersey Devils (NHL)
Martin Fehervary, Washington Capitals (NHL)
Martin Gernat, Yaroslavl (KHL)
Patrik Koch, Ocelari Trinec (Czech Extraliga)
Peter Ceresnak, Dynamo Pardubice (Czech Extraliga)
Martin Marincin, Ocelari Trinec (Czech Extraliga)
Michal Ivan, Bili Tygri (Czech Extraliga)
The Big Boys
The Slovaks won’t be rolling out any small defencemen at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The bottom end of their blue line is, frankly huge.
Projected Pairings
Fehérváry (6’2”) – Nemec (6’1”)
Gernát (6’4”) – Černák (6’4”)
Mariničin (6’4”) – Čerešňák (6’3”)
Ivan (6’1”) – Koch (6’1”)
It’s hard to go wrong with a massive blue line. We’ll see how much time Ivan and Koch get, but look at that middle-four. If those two pairings can play it safe and keep the middle clogged, they’ll give Slovakia a chance to sneak into the medal rounds.
Goaltenders
Samuel Hlavaj, Iowa Wild (AHL)
Adam Gajan, University of Minnesota Duluth (NCAA)
Stanislav Skorvanek, Mountfield (Czech Extraliga)
Game Breaker
The first question you may be asking is: where is 2022 Olympic star Patrik Rybár?
A question that leads to more questions.
A participant of the last World Championship, Rybár lost the starting role to Samuel Hlavaj. With a dismal 10 goals against on 42 shots. It may be as simple as that.
Then there is the fact that the 32-year-old netminder reportedly wanted to stick with his KHL team, the Shanghai Dragons, instead of attending the Olympics. Weird stuff.
A mid-season injury denominates the issue. Rybár is out for the year.
On paper, the 24-year-old Hlavaj is a bit of a surprise to be pegged as the starter heading towards game one against Finland on Wednesday (10:40 EST). He’s had a rough year statistically (.884 sv% and 3.33GAA in 18 games) with the Iowa Wild and has even seen some time in the ECHL.
The 2019-20 QMJHL Defensive Rookie of the Year does have consecutive appearances at Worlds in the past two years; which means a lot to some programs. Both instances saw his save percentage above .910. Going .929 in three qualifying games was clearly enough for Orszagh to feel confident.
Waiting in the wings is the well-hyped Adam Gajan, who was a 35th overall pick in 2023, as well as the 30-year-old Stanislav Skorvanek, who is having a stellar campaign in the Czech Extraliga. The undrafted goaltender has maintained a .932 save percentage and 1.95 GAA over 39 appearances with Mountfield HC.
Goaltending appears be the toughest decision for Orszagh. All three goalies are compelling choices with varying backgrounds. Who Vladimir runs with may ultimately be the decision that decides Slovakia’s fate as the tournament hits the medal rounds.
Stats courtesy of the National Hockey League and Elite Prospects.
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