Devils’ Nemec & Tatar Help Slovaks Qualify for Olympics

With Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan, the Slovaks have officially qualified for the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, capping off a perfect 3-and-0 run during qualification. New Jersey Devils skaters Simon Nemec and Tomas Tatar played a large role for them throughout the tournament. However, Nemec did not play in Sunday’s contest due to an upper-body injury sustained against Hungary. He’ll head back to New Jersey for further tests.

Nemec played primarily on Slovakia’s second pairing, but also manned their top powerplay unit. He picked up one point (an assist) in two games. Tatar captained the squad and played exclusively on the top line and powerplay unit. He scored a goal for his only point in three games, as well. 

What a rush by Tomas Tatar, scoring a huge insurance goal for Slovakia.#NJDevils pic.twitter.com/AlqzrkMv0P

— Daniel Amoia (@daniel_amoia) August 30, 2024

Here’s how the tournament shook out for the Slovaks:

8/29 – 2-1 Win vs. Austria

8/30 – 7-3 Win vs. Hungary

9/1 – 3-1 Win vs. Kazakhstan

Slovakia now joins the following countries who have already qualified: Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy (host), Finland, Denmark, Germany, Czechia, and the United States. Russia is not officially confirmed, as the country is temporarily banned from participating in International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) events. If Russia is still barred from competition then, the “best second place team” from qualification will take their place, meaning one of Kazakhstan, Norway, or France will be chosen based on a multitude of factors.

The following countries also participated in qualification rounds, but got eliminated: Estonia, Netherlands, Serbia, Iceland, Spain, Croatia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey, South Africa, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Hungary, Great Britain, Korea, Lithuania, Romania, Poland, Japan, China, Ukraine and Slovenia.

Nemec (barring medical update) and Tatar are slated to join Devils’ training camp on Sept. 18. The Devils will likely announce the results of Nemec’s medical testing once they’re completed. If healthy, both are expected to be an integral part of the 2026 Slovak Olympic squad in Milan.