2024 World Junior Championship Preview: Team Slovakia
The record might show a quarterfinal loss last year – their seventh in eight years – but it was perhaps their most honorable defeat in quite some time.
It won’t match the excitement of winning bronze at the 2015 tournament over a powerhouse Swedish team. But after beating the United States and taking a Connor Bedard-led Team Canada to overtime in the quarterfinal, the Slovaks exceeded all expectations.
This year? Don’t be surprised if something similar happens. The Slovaks are in the weaker Group B, with as high as second being a realistic possibility this year. Their game against Czechia to kick off the tournament might be their most important, and if Adam Gajan can find that same magic that made him so good last year, they might be able to surprise.
The Slovaks aren’t a pushover anymore. You have to take them seriously.
Goaltenders
Slovakia has some tremendous goaltending options for a “smaller” team in this tournament. Adam Gajan (CHI) put himself on the map at last year’s event, which led to the Chicago Blackhawks taking a chance on him in the second round. He’s been good with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers, and there’s no doubt he’ll be one of the tournament’s best goaltenders again. Gajan showed he could give fits to big teams like USA and Canada, and he’ll need to do that again if the Slovaks are going to surprise.
One of the top performers from the U-18 World Championship was goaltender Samuel Urban. Between his incredible 54-save win over Finland in the quarterfinal, his 47 stops against Sweden and his incredible effort to force overtime against Canada in the bronze medal game. He went undrafted, but the Sioux City Musketeers goaltender and future Arizona State University keeper has the potential to steal a game at an event like this.
And then there’s Rastislav Elias, who has been passed over twice. He’s currently playing with HIFK’s U-20 team with mixed results, but he was incredible at the 2022 Division IA U-18 tournament that helped Slovakia advance back to the top division. Elias looked great at Toronto Maple Leafs’ development camp this past summer, and he’s got desirable size at 6-foot-3, too.
While it’s Gajan’s crease to lose this year, this might be one of the better goaltending trios in the tournament. That could give them an edge in some of the closer matchups, which has to be exciting for the Slovaks.
Defensemen
I’m not sure if Slovakia was ever close to landing Simon Nemec for this events, but those dreams were dashed when he was called up to replace Dougie Hamilton.
Luckily, they’ll have Michigan State University defender Maxim Štrbák (BUF) for the third time. The 6-foot-2 defenseman has looked great at both events and even used the tournament last year to help his draft stock in the eyes of scouts. Don’t be surprised if he’s playing over 25 minutes a night as the most experienced and skilled defenseman on this squad.
After a good start with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies, Richard Baran started camp alongside Štrbák on the top pairing. Compared to Strbak, Baran is more of the shutdown option, but he has looked more competent with the puck than he did at the U-18s in the spring. We’ll see if he sticks on the top pair, but he’s a good enough skater to hang with some talented opponents.
A big defenseman looking to earn some more attention from NHL scouts is 6-foot-3 Viliam Kmec. He’s been passed over twice, but he has shown more speed and urgency in his game with the Prince George Cougars this year. Kmec has established his game is more than just bringing physicality, although he does that quite well, too. This will be his third world juniors, so I expect him to earn a lot of minutes.
Speaking of size, I could see Kmec lining up alongside Milan Pišoja. He’s also big at 6-foot-3, but he’s mobile. Pišoja’s game is more about shutting things off in his own zone, and I thought he handled that well at the U-18s last spring.
Perhaps the most intriguing player is 16-year-old Luka Radivojevič, one of the top European prospects for 2025. The son of former NHLer Branko Radivojevič, Luka has looked tremendous with Orebro’s U-20 team and was Slovakia’s best defenseman at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He’ll be most useful on the power play, but this is more about up experience before playing a bigger role next year. Get used to his name.
Forwards
Slafkovsky would have given Slovakia a big boost this year, but it never seemed likely he’d come, anyway. And that’s fine – after giving Canada a run for their money in both U-18 and U-20 competition last year, they’re ready to make some noise in Sweden this year.
And it all starts with Dalibor Dvorský (St. Louis Blues), who is set for his third World Junior Championship. He hasn’t produced a ton over the past two tournament, but he was a serious contender for MVP honors at the U-18 World Championship last spring. A move from the SHL to Sudbury in the OHL has done wonders for his confidence, with Dvorský entering the tournament with 18 goals and 34 points in 20 games – putting him well over 100 points in a full campaign. Dvorský will need to be lights out if Slovakia is going far this year, but I wouldn’t bet against him.
Dvorský’s chemistry with fellow Blues prospect Juraj Pekarcik (STL) was notable back in the Spring. The Dubuque Fighting Saints standout has been like a fish to water in the USHL this year, with his 6-foot-2 frame allowing him to outmuscle opponents with ease. Pekarcik can play both center and the wing, which will come in handy.
After a difficult 2022-23 season by some people’s standards, Filip Mešár (Montreal Canadiens) has been a game-changer for the Kitchener Rangers. He’s scoring, setting teammates up and is looking more engaged at both ends of the ice this year. Mešár’s best hockey last year came at the world juniors, and he’ll be even more impactful this time.
Injuries have limited Samuel Honzek (Calgary Flames) to just a handful of games in 2023-24, but he left for Sweden with seven points in five outings with the Vancouver Giants. Now headed to his third world juniors, he’s still seeking his first point but he’ll play a significant role with Slovakia. Honzek is coming off of some of the best hockey of his junior career, and that’ll be important for a Slovak team that has high hopes this year.
Another third-year forward is Servác Petrovský (Minnesota Wild), who loves to make his living around the crease. The Owen Sound Attack forward has been a consistent performer over his three OHL seasons, and is set to blast past the 50-point barrier for the third time. Speaking of consistency, Petrovský will look to improve on his three-point performances from the past two tournaments in a top-six role. If there’s anything I’ve noticed in his games this year, it’s that Petrovský looks more physical now.
Other forwards to watch include Alex Čiernik (Philadelphia Flyers), Peter Repčík and Martin Mišiak (CHI). Expect Čiernik to see some top-six time after some good showings with Slovakia earlier this year. every time he dons the blue, red and white Slovak uniforms, Čiernik seems to shine. Repčík was very valuable last year and is having his best QMJHL season to date, too. Mišiak, meanwhile, enters the tournament having played some of his best hockey with the Erie Otters in recent showings. He can be up and down, and he was completely invisible during last year’s tournament, but he started camp in the top six.
The lone AHLer on the team is Adam Sýkora (New York Rangers), who has looked solid as a rookie with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Sýkora enters on a bit of a cold streak with no points in his last six games, but he’ll be leaned on in a leadership role in his third tournament for the Slovaks.
Projection
You know, last year I nailed the “Czechs to the medal round” projection. I don’t want to say the same about the Slovaks this year, but they’re my underdog final-four pick. Their young core is thriving, they’ve got three solid goaltenders and a few decent blueliners, too. They’ll need to win some games 2-1 along the way, but they showed last year they could handle the best of the best. They’ll have to face one of Canada, Finland and Sweden in the quarterfinal, but at the very least, they won’t be an easy out. Bold prediction? They’re going to the bronze medal game.
Round-Robin Schedule
Local/ET Time
Dec. 26 vs. Czechia – 12:00/6:00 AM ET
Dec. 27 vs. Switzerland – 12:00/6:00 AM ET
Dec. 29 vs. Norway – 12:00/6:00 AM ET
Dec. 31 vs. USA – 12:00/6:00 AM ET
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World Junior Championship Previews by Steven Ellis
Dec. 12: Team Sweden
Dec. 13: Team Norway
Dec. 14: Team Latvia
Dec. 15: Team Switzerland
Dec. 17: Team Finland
Dec. 18: Team Germany
Dec. 19: Team Canada
Dec. 20: Team USA