Slovakia Men's National Ice Hockey Team
The Slovakia men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Slovakia and is controlled by the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation.
A successor to the Czechoslovakia national team, it is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world. The team's general manager is Miroslav Šatan and their head coach is Craig Ramsay.
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Naši chlapci (Our Boys) |
|---|---|
| Association | Slovak Ice Hockey Federation |
| General manager | Miroslav Šatan |
| Head coach | Craig Ramsay |
| Assistants | Peter Frühauf Ján Pardavý Andrej Podkonický |
| Captain | Marek Hrivík |
| Most games | Dominik Graňák (184) |
| Top scorer | Miroslav Šatan (85) |
| Most points | Miroslav Šatan (162) |
| Home stadium | Ondrej Nepela Arena |
| Team colors | |
| IIHF code | SVK |
 | |
| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF | 9  1 (28 May 2023) |
| Highest IIHF | 3 (2004) |
| Lowest IIHF | 11 (2017) |
| First international | |
Slovakia  2–2  France(Rouen, France; February 12, 1993) | |
| Biggest win | |
Slovakia 20–0  Bulgaria(Poprad, Slovakia; March 18, 1994) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
Czech Republic  8–0 Slovakia(Kloten, Switzerland; May 2, 2009) | |
| IIHF World Championships | |
| Appearances | 29 (first in 1994) |
| Best result |  Gold: (2002) |
| Olympics | |
| Appearances | 8 (first in 1994) |
| Medals |  Bronze: (2022) |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 375–300–49 | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 2022 Beijing | Team |
| World Championships | ||
 | 2002 Sweden | |
 | 2000 Russia | |
| 2012 Finland/Sweden | |
| 2003 Finland | |
Slovakia has won four medals at the World Championships, including a gold medal in 2002 in Sweden, and a bronze medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
History
The Slovak national team was formed following the breakup of Czechoslovakia, as the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. While the Czechs were allowed to compete in the highest pool (A), the IIHF ruled that because fewer players of the former Czechoslovak team were Slovaks, Slovakia would be required to start international play in pool C. However, Slovakia's play in the lower pools won its promotion to pool A by 1996. See also Post-Cold War period of the IIHF world championships.
Slovakia's first appearance in an elite ice hockey competition was at 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. With a lineup led by star Peter Šťastný, the Slovaks finished first in their group with three wins and two ties before losing to Russia in overtime in the quarterfinals. In the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the Slovak team was unable to use its National Hockey League (NHL) players in the preliminary round due to a scheduling conflict. This affected all of the smaller countries, but devastated the Slovaks as most of their best players were from NHL teams. The NHL only shut down its schedule in time for the second group stage, and thus Slovakia failed to qualify among the final eight teams both times. This turn of events was troubling to the entire hockey community, and the rules were changed for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.
Slovak national team members and notable players have included Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Marián Hossa, Marián Gáborík, Marcel Hossa; Miroslav Šatan; goaltender Jaroslav Halák and the tallest player in NHL history, Zdeno Chára. In the late 1990s, the St. Louis Blues placed Ľuboš Bartečko, Michal Handzuš, and Pavol Demitra on the same line. This trio became known as the "Slovak Pack," and were able to communicate in their native language without the opposition knowing what they were saying, unless, of course, they also understood Slovak.
Following the successful years for the Slovaks in the early 2000s at the World Championship, when they won the silver in St. Petersburg at the 2000 edition after a loss to the Czechs, winning the (so far) only title in Goteburg at the 2002 edition and securing bronze in Helsinki (2003), the results of Slovakia worsened and Slovakia began to drop out in the quarterfinals. The closest Slovakia came to relegation into Division I was in 2008, when they avoided relegation only thanks to two victories over Slovenia in the Relegation Round. Following was a series of three subsequent eliminations in the qualifying round (round of 12), including one at a 2011 edition Slovakia hosted in Bratislava and Košice for the first time, since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.
Largely unexpected, however, was Slovakia's silver medal at the 2012 edition, again won in Helsinki. This was the first tournament after the introduction of the new two group format, followed by the quarterfinals. Due to the surprise this medal was after number of unsuccessful tournaments, it was by many regarded as with a value of a triumphal gold. In the following years however, Slovakia again failed to repeat medal successes and even failed to qualify to the quarterfinals, with the exception of 2013.
In the Winter Olympic Games, Slovakia's highest achievement prior to 2022 was fourth place in Vancouver 2010. In the tournament they won against favourites Russia and Sweden, and lost against Canada in the semi-finals and against Finland in the bronze medal game. In 2022, the Slovaks claimed their first ever Olympic medal after defeating Sweden 4–0 in a bronze medal game.
Tournament record
Olympic Games
| Games | GP | W | OW | T | OL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920–1992 | Part of Czechoslovakia | ||||||||||||
 1994 Lillehammer | 8 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 29 | Július Šupler | Peter Šťastný | 6th | ||
 1998 Nagano | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 13 | Ján Šterbák | Zdeno Cíger | 10th | ||
 2002 Salt Lake City | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 13 | Ján Filc | Miroslav Šatan | 13th | ||
 2006 Turin | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 11 | František Hossa | Pavol Demitra | 5th | ||
 2010 Vancouver | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 3 | 22 | 18 | Ján Filc | Zdeno Chára | 4th | ||
 2014 Sochi | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 3 | 5 | 16 | Vladimír Vůjtek | Zdeno Chára | 11th | ||
 2018 Pyeongchang | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 2 | 7 | 12 | Craig Ramsay | Tomáš Surový | 11th | ||
 2022 Beijing | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 3 | 19 | 16 | Craig Ramsay | Marek Hrivík |  Bronze | ||
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
World Championship
Lower divisions
| Division | Championship | GP | W | OW | T | OL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | 1994 Poprad, Spišská Nová Ves | 6 | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 43 | 3 | Július Šupler | Oto Haščák | Winner, Promoted | 1st |
| B | 1995 Bratislava | 7 | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 60 | 15 | Július Šupler | Peter Šťastný | Winner, Promoted | 1st |
Top division
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World Cup
| Year | GP | W | OW | T | OL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | 9 | 19 | Jozef Golonka | Round 1 | 7th | |
| 2004 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 | Ján Filc | Quarter-finals | 8th |
At the 2016 edition, Slovakia was not represented. Instead 6 Slovak players were a part of Team Europe, which was led by Slovak general manager Miroslav Šatan.
Deutschland Cup
Team
Current roster
Roster for the 2023 IIHF World Championship.
Head coach: Craig Ramsay
| No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | D | Adam Jánošík | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 7 September 1992 | BK Mladá Boleslav |
| 5 | D | Šimon Nemec | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 92 kg (203 lb) | 15 February 2004 | Utica Comets |
| 7 | D | Mário Grman | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 89 kg (196 lb) | 11 April 1997 | HC Vítkovice Ridera |
| 8 | F | Martin Chromiak | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 91 kg (201 lb) | 20 August 2002 | Ontario Reign |
| 12 | F | Oliver Okuliar | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | 24 May 2000 | Mountfield HK |
| 13 | D | František Gajdoš | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 83 kg (183 lb) | 7 June 2001 | HK Nitra |
| 16 | F | Róbert Lantoši | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | 24 September 1995 | BK Mladá Boleslav |
| 17 | F | Andrej Kudrna | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | 11 May 1991 | HC Litvínov |
| 21 | F | Miloš Kelemen | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 6 July 1999 | Tucson Roadrunners |
| 22 | D | Samuel Kňažko | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 86 kg (190 lb) | 7 August 2002 | Cleveland Monsters |
| 25 | F | Alex Tamáši | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | 90 kg (200 lb) | 25 March 1998 | HC '05 Banská Bystrica |
| 27 | F | Marek Hrivík – C | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 89 kg (196 lb) | 28 August 1991 |  Leksands IF |
| 28 | F | Richard Pánik | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 92 kg (203 lb) | 7 February 1991 |  Lausanne HC |
| 29 | D | Michal Ivan | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 18 November 1999 | HC Bílí Tygři Liberec |
| 31 | G | Samuel Hlavaj | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 29 May 2001 | HC Slovan Bratislava |
| 33 | G | Stanislav Škorvánek | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | 87 kg (192 lb) | 31 January 1996 | HK Dukla Michalovce |
| 34 | F | Peter Cehlárik – A | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 94 kg (207 lb) | 2 August 1995 | Leksands IF |
| 35 | G | Dominik Riečický | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 9 June 1992 | HC Košice |
| 44 | D | Mislav Rosandić | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 26 January 1995 | Mountfield HK |
| 47 | F | Mário Lunter | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 90 kg (200 lb) | 20 June 1994 | BK Mladá Boleslav |
| 48 | F | Viliam Čacho | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | 14 October 1998 | HK Dukla Trenčín |
| 64 | D | Patrik Koch | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 86 kg (190 lb) | 8 December 1996 | HC Vítkovice Ridera |
| 79 | F | Libor Hudáček | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 7 September 1990 | HC Oceláři Třinec |
| 87 | F | Pavol Regenda | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 7 December 1999 | San Diego Gulls |
| 91 | F | Matúš Sukeľ – A | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | 77 kg (170 lb) | 23 January 1996 | HC Litvínov |
2002 World Championship: Gold winning roster
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2012 World Championship
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2022 Winter Olympics
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Player statistics
- As of 7 May 2023
Players in bold are still active.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; GPG = Goal per game;
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Head coaches
This table shows all Slovakia national team head coaches and their record at the IIHF World Championships, World Cup of Hockey and Winter Olympic Games (including qualifying tournaments). Data correct as of match played on 26 May 2022.
Source:
| Name | Years | G | W | OW | T | OL | L | GF | GA | W% | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Július Šupler | 1993–1996 | 29 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 160 | 92 | 55.2 | 1.31 |
| Jozef Golonka | 1996–1997 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 23 | 37.5 | 0.88 |
| Ján Šterbák | 1997–1999 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 44 | 46 | 31.3 | 0.88 |
| Ján Filc | 1999–2002 | 29 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 106 | 75 | 58.6 | 1.24 |
| František Hossa | 2002–2006 | 38 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 133 | 68 | 63.2 | 1.39 |
| Ján Filc | 2004 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 | .000 | 0.00 |
| Július Šupler | 2006–2008 | 12 | 5 | 1 | – | 0 | 6 | 42 | 35 | 50.0 | 1.42 |
| Ján Filc | 2008–2010 | 13 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | 5 | 34 | 42 | 46.2 | 1.38 |
| Glen Hanlon | 2010–2011 | 12 | 4 | 0 | – | 0 | 8 | 29 | 34 | 33.3 | 1.00 |
| Vladimír Vůjtek | 2011–2015 | 36 | 14 | 2 | – | 5 | 15 | 94 | 99 | 44.4 | 1.42 |
| Zdeno Cíger | 2015–2017 | 14 | 2 | 2 | – | 2 | 8 | 27 | 51 | 28.6 | 0.86 |
| Craig Ramsay | 2017– | 44 | 21 | 2 | – | 3 | 18 | 125 | 121 | 52.3 | 1.59 |
Team managers
Paul Loicq Award recipient Juraj Okoličány managed the team from 1993 to 1998.
Retired numbers
- 38 – Pavol Demitra A star of the national team and a victim of the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash – retired from the national team at the Slovak-hosted World Championship that year.
All-time record
The following table shows Slovakia's international record against other national teams from 1940 to 1945 and since 1993, correct as of 20 April 2024 after a match against Germany. Teams in italics are no longer actively competing. Overtime and game winning shot victories and losses are counted towards wins and losses.
Source:
| Opponent | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Austria | 42 | 32 | 2 | 8 | 167 | 76 | +91 |
 Belarus | 37 | 24 | 1 | 12 | 107 | 72 | +35 |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | +20 |
| Canada | 51 | 20 | 4 | 27 | 145 | 158 | −13 |
 Croatia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 |
| Czech Republic | 73 | 16 | 7 | 50 | 147 | 253 | −106 |
 Denmark | 23 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 90 | 48 | +42 |
 Finland | 38 | 7 | 3 | 28 | 62 | 123 | −61 |
| France | 34 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 149 | 62 | +87 |
 Germany | 81 | 46 | 2 | 33 | 211 | 194 | +17 |
 Great Britain | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 7 | +22 |
 Hungary | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 19 | +31 |
| Italy | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 77 | 42 | +35 |
| Japan | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 12 | +27 |
 Kazakhstan | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 49 | 22 | +27 |
 Latvia | 35 | 23 | 2 | 10 | 117 | 71 | +46 |
 Netherlands | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 | +20 |
| Norway | 36 | 27 | 2 | 7 | 140 | 65 | +75 |
 Poland | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 11 | +30 |
 Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | −12 |
 Romania | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 7 | +46 |
| Russia | 34 | 9 | 5 | 20 | 72 | 108 | −36 |
 Slovenia | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 18 | +25 |
| South Korea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Sweden | 41 | 11 | 3 | 27 | 90 | 134 | −44 |
| Switzerland | 79 | 34 | 7 | 38 | 197 | 182 | +15 |
 Ukraine | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 18 | +31 |
| United States | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 68 | 102 | −34 |
 Yugoslavia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| Total | 724 | 375 | 49 | 300 | 2 245 | 1 823 | +425 |
Uniform evolution
- National team jerseys
-
1994 Olympic jerseys -
IIHF jerseys 1994 -
IIHF jerseys 1995 -
IIHF jerseys 1996, 1997 -
1998–2000 IIHF jerseys -
2002 Olympic jerseys, 2001–2004 IIHF jerseys -
2004 WCH jerseys -
IIHF jerseys 2005 -
2006 Olympic jerseys, later used at IIHF tournaments 2006 -
IIHF jerseys 2007, 2008 -
2010 Olympic jerseys, 2009–2013 IIHF jerseys -
2014 Olympic jerseys, later used at IIHF tournaments 2014–2017 -
2018 Olympic jerseys -
2018–2021 IIHF jerseys -
2022 Olympic jerseys -
2022– IIHF jerseys
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See also
References
External links
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