The Slovaks have announced their roster for the 2025 WJC in Ottawa, naming 26 players, with three goalies, eight defensemen, and 15 forwards.
Related: 2025 World Junior Championship Guide
“It’s a tough decision every year. I believe we’ve chosen the right guys to represent Slovakia at the World Junior Championship. Samuel Kupec, Adam Beluško and Andrej Párička will not continue with the team,” said Ivan Feneš, the team’s head coach. The Slovaks will ice a competitive roster, highlighted by forward Dalibor Dvorsky.
Team Slovakia’s Forwards
Adam Cedzo, Ján Chovan, Peter Císar, František Dej, Dalibor Dvorský, Daniel Jenčko, Lukáš Klečka, Roman Kukumberg, Tomáš Pobežal, Miroslav Šatan, Róbert Fedor, Juraj Pekarčík, Tobias Pitka, Tobias Tomík, Matúš Vojtech
It will be a strong core of forwards. Of course, the team’s main star will be Dvorsky, lining up for Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL), but other interesting players to follow are Roman Kukumberg and Miroslav Satan, who was drafted last summer by the Washington Capitals, for example.
Another player to watch is Moncton Wildcats’ Juraj Pekarcik. He is a St. Louis Blues draftee. The forwards for Team Slovakia will be the most interesting part of the team, but they have a balanced team with plenty of talent all around the ice.
Team Slovakia’s Defensemen
Richard Baran, Samuel Barcík, Jakub Chromiak, Tomáš Královič, Milan Pišoja, Luka Radivojevič, Maxim Štrbák, Peter Valent.
The Slovak defense will be strong even without Samuel Kupec, one of the last cuts. I was expecting Kupec, who lines up for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), to make the roster, but he failed to impress the coaching staff.
Top players on the blue line will most likely be Maxim Strbak and Luka Radivojevic, the latter of which hear his name next spring at the 2025 Draft.
Team Slovakia’s Goalies
Alan Lenďák, Michal Prádel, Samuel Urban.
The selection of Michal Pradel was a bit of a surprise. The goalie is a 2007-born player and many were expecting a more experienced selection. Goalie returnee Samuel Urban will be the most likely pick for the starting duties, but all three netminders stand a chance, as they don’t definitely lack talent.
Battling for a Medal
The Slovaks have a good roster, with several interesting players. They won’t be a favorite team for medals, but they proved that they can surprise bigger teams. If Dvorsky and his peers start creating good plays in the offensive zone, more than one team could have a bad experience.
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