Slovakia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Naši chlapci (Our Boys)
AssociationSlovak Ice Hockey Federation
General managerMiroslav Šatan
Head coachCraig Ramsay
AssistantsPeter Frühauf
Ján Pardavý
Andrej Podkonický
CaptainMarek Hrivík
Most gamesDominik Graňák (184)
Top scorerMiroslav Šatan (85)
Most pointsMiroslav Šatan (162)
Home stadiumOndrej Nepela Arena
Team colors     
IIHF codeSVK
Ranking
Current IIHF9 Decrease 1 (28 May 2023)[1]
Highest IIHF3 (2004)
Lowest IIHF11 (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
Appearances29 (first in 1994)
Best resultGold Gold: (2002)
Olympics
Appearances8 (first in 1994)
Medals Bronze: (2022)
International record (W–L–T)
367–299–49
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place2022 BeijingTeam
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2002 Sweden
Silver medal – second place2000 Russia
Silver medal – second place2012 Finland/Sweden
Bronze medal – third place2003 Finland

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.

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 it 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

Slovak team celebrates their victory over Sweden during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Games GP W OW T OL L GF GA Coach Captain Finish
1920–1992Part of  Czechoslovakia
Norway 1994 Lillehammer 8 4 0 2 1 1 35 29 Július Šupler Peter Šťastný 6th
Japan 1998 Nagano 4 1 0 1 0 2 11 13 Ján Šterbák Zdeno Cíger 10th
United States 2002 Salt Lake City 4 1 0 2 0 1 15 13 Ján Filc Miroslav Šatan 13th
Italy 2006 Turin 6 5 0 0 0 1 19 11 František Hossa Pavol Demitra 5th
Canada 2010 Vancouver 7 3 1 — 0 3 22 18 Ján Filc Zdeno Chára 4th
Russia 2014 Sochi 4 0 0 — 1 3 5 16 Czech Republic Vladimír Vůjtek Zdeno Chára 11th
South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang 4 1 0 — 1 2 7 12 Canada Craig Ramsay Tomáš Surový 11th
China 2022 Beijing 7 3 1 — 0 3 19 16 Canada Craig Ramsay Marek Hrivík 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze
Totals
GamesGoldSilverBronzeTotal
80011

World Championship

Lower divisions

Division Championship GP W OW T OL L GF GA Coach Captain Finish Rank
C1 Slovakia 1994 Poprad, Spišská Nová Ves64–2–0433Július ŠuplerOto HaščákWinner, Promoted1st
B Slovakia 1995 Bratislava77–0–06015Július ŠuplerPeter ŠťastnýWinner, Promoted1st

Top division

Preseason match in Dresden in preparation for the 2022 IIHF World Championship: Slovakia vs. Germany
ChampionshipGPWOTWTOTLLGFGACoachCaptainFinishRank
1920–1992As part of  Czechoslovakia
Austria 1996 Vienna51–1–31316Július ŠuplerOto HaščákGroup Round10th
Finland 1997 Helsinki, Tampere, Turku83–1–42023Jozef GolonkaZdeno CígerConsolation Round9th
Switzerland 1998 Basel, Zürich62–2–21112Ján ŠterbákZdeno CígerSecond round7th
Norway 1999 Oslo, Hamar, Lillehammer62–1–32221Ján ŠterbákZdeno CígerSecond round7th
Russia 2000 St. Petersburg9501033422Ján FilcMiroslav ŠatanFinal2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver
Germany 2001 Nuremberg, Cologne, Hanover7300042018Ján FilcZdeno CháraQuarter-finals7th
Sweden 2002 Gothenburg, Karlstad, Jönköping9710013722Ján FilcMiroslav ŠatanChampions1st place, gold medalist(s) Gold
Finland 2003 Helsinki, Tampere, Turku9701014517František HossaMiroslav Šatan3rd Place Game3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze
Czech Republic 2004 Prague, Ostrava950211249František HossaMiroslav Šatan3rd Place Game4th
Austria 2005 Vienna, Innsbruck7401021917František HossaMiroslav ŠatanQuarter-finals5th
Latvia 2006 Riga7301032614František HossaMarián HossaQuarter-finals8th
Russia 2007 Moscow740–032423Július ŠuplerMiroslav Šatan Quarter-finals6th
Canada 2008 Quebec City, Halifax521–021812Július ŠuplerRóbert PetrovickýRelegation Round13th
Switzerland 2009 Bern, Kloten611–221224Ján FilcĽuboš BartečkoSecond round10th
Germany 2010 Cologne, Mannheim, Gelsenkirchen620–041319Canada Glen HanlonRichard LintnerSecond round12th
Slovakia 2011 Bratislava, Košice620–041615Canada Glen HanlonPavol DemitraSecond round10th
Finland Sweden 2012 Helsinki, Stockholm1070–033023Czech Republic Vladimír VůjtekZdeno CháraFinal2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver
Sweden Finland 2013 Stockholm, Helsinki830–142220Czech Republic Vladimír VůjtekMiroslav ŠatanQuarter-finals8th
Belarus 2014 Minsk730–132021Czech Republic Vladimír VůjtekMiroslav ŠatanGroup stage9th
Czech Republic 2015 Prague, Ostrava712–221719Czech Republic Vladimír VůjtekTomáš KopeckýGroup stage9th
Russia 2016 Moscow, St. Petersburg721–041523Zdeno CígerAndrej SekeraGroup stage9th
Germany France 2017 Cologne, Paris701–241228Zdeno Cíger Vladimír DraveckýGroup stage14th
Denmark 2018 Copenhagen, Herning730–221920Canada Craig RamsayAndrej SekeraGroup stage9th
Slovakia 2019 Bratislava, Košice731–032819Canada Craig RamsayAndrej SekeraGroup stage9th
2020Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic[2]
Latvia 2021 Riga840–041828Canada Craig RamsayMarek ĎalogaQuarter-finals8th
Finland 2022 Helsinki, Tampere840–042523Canada Craig RamsayTomáš TatarQuarter-finals8th
Finland Latvia 2023 Tampere, Riga730–221515Canada Craig RamsayMarek HrivíkGroup stage9th
Czech Republic 2024 Prague, Ostrava–

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

  • 1st place, gold medalist(s) Gold medal (1997, 2006, 2011, 2016)
  • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver medal (1994, 2001, 2017, 2021, 2023)
  • 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze medal (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2018)

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2023 IIHF World Championship.[3][4]

Head coach: Craig Ramsay

No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Team
3DAdam Jánošík1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)85 kg (187 lb)7 September 1992Czech Republic BK Mladá Boleslav
5DŠimon Nemec1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)92 kg (203 lb)15 February 2004United States Utica Comets
7DMário Grman1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)89 kg (196 lb)11 April 1997Czech Republic HC Vítkovice Ridera
8FMartin Chromiak1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)91 kg (201 lb)20 August 2002United States Ontario Reign
12FOliver Okuliar1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)84 kg (185 lb)24 May 2000Czech Republic Mountfield HK
13DFrantišek Gajdoš1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)83 kg (183 lb)7 June 2001Slovakia HK Nitra
16FRóbert Lantoši1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)84 kg (185 lb)24 September 1995Czech Republic BK Mladá Boleslav
17FAndrej Kudrna1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)95 kg (209 lb)11 May 1991Czech Republic HC Litvínov
21FMiloš Kelemen1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)99 kg (218 lb)6 July 1999United States Tucson Roadrunners
22DSamuel Kňažko1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)86 kg (190 lb)7 August 2002United States Cleveland Monsters
25FAlex Tamáši1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)90 kg (200 lb)25 March 1998Slovakia HC '05 Banská Bystrica
27FMarek Hrivík – C1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)89 kg (196 lb)28 August 1991Sweden Leksands IF
28FRichard Pánik1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)92 kg (203 lb)7 February 1991Switzerland Lausanne HC
29DMichal Ivan1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)85 kg (187 lb)18 November 1999Czech Republic HC Bílí Tygři Liberec
31GSamuel Hlavaj1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)99 kg (218 lb)29 May 2001Slovakia HC Slovan Bratislava
33GStanislav Škorvánek1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)87 kg (192 lb)31 January 1996Slovakia HK Dukla Michalovce
34FPeter Cehlárik – A1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)94 kg (207 lb)2 August 1995Sweden Leksands IF
35GDominik Riečický1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)80 kg (180 lb)9 June 1992Slovakia HC Košice
44DMislav Rosandić1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)85 kg (187 lb)26 January 1995Czech Republic Mountfield HK
47FMário Lunter1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)90 kg (200 lb)20 June 1994Czech Republic BK Mladá Boleslav
48FViliam Čacho1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)82 kg (181 lb)14 October 1998Slovakia HK Dukla Trenčín
64DPatrik Koch1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)86 kg (190 lb)8 December 1996Czech Republic HC Vítkovice Ridera
79FLibor Hudáček1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)80 kg (180 lb)7 September 1990Czech Republic HC Oceláři Třinec
87FPavol Regenda1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)99 kg (218 lb)7 December 1999United States San Diego Gulls
91FMatúš Sukeľ – A1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)77 kg (170 lb)23 January 1996Czech Republic HC Litvínov

2002 World Championship: Gold winning roster

Goalies
Defensemen
Forwards

2012 World Championship

Goalies
Defensemen
Forwards

2022 Winter Olympics

Goalies
Defensemen
Forwards

Player statistics

Source:

As of 7 May 2023

Players in bold are still active.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; GPG = Goal per game;

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:[5]

NameYearsGWOWTOLLGFGAW%PPG
Július Šupler1993–1996291605171609255.21.31
Jozef Golonka1996–1997830104202337.50.88
Ján Šterbák1997–19991650407444631.30.88
Ján Filc1999–2002291613091067558.61.24
František Hossa2002–2006382405181336863.21.39
Ján Filc[note 1]2004400004418.0000.00
Július Šupler2006–20081251–06423550.01.42
Ján Filc2008–20101342–25344246.21.38
Glen Hanlon2010–20111240–08293433.31.00
Vladimír Vůjtek2011–201536142–515949944.41.42
Zdeno Cíger2015–20171422–28275128.60.86
Craig Ramsay2017–44212–31812512152.31.59
  1. ↑ Managed the team during 2004 World Cup of Hockey

Team managers

Paul Loicq Award recipient Juraj Okoličány managed the team from 1993 to 1998.[6][7][8][9]

Retired numbers

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 11 November 2023 after a match against Denmark. Teams in italics are no longer actively competing. Overtime and game winning shot victories and losses are counted towards wins and losses.

Source:[10]

Opponent Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD
 Austria42322816776+91
 Belarus372411210772+35
 Bulgaria1100200+20
 Canada5120427145158−13
 Croatia110061+5
 Czech Republic7316750147253−106
 Denmark2316079048+42
 Finland38732862123−61
 France34263514962+87
 Germany7642232192177+15
 Great Britain5500297+22
 Hungary86025019+31
 Italy1814137742+35
 Japan55003912+27
 Kazakhstan118124922+27
 Latvia342221011471+43
 Netherlands2200244+20
 Norway35262713165+66
 Poland76104111+30
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia1001012−12
 Romania7511537+46
 Russia34952072108−36
 Slovenia1210024318+25
 South Korea110021+1
 Sweden411132790134−44
  Switzerland7732738189179−10
 Ukraine109104918+31
 United States301031768102−34
 Yugoslavia110041+3
Total715367492992 2091 803+406

Uniform evolution

See also

References

  1. ↑ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  2. ↑ Steiss, Adam. "2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship cancelled". iihf.com. IIHF. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "MS 2023: V záverečnej nominácii zatiaľ 25 mien" (in Slovak). hockeyslovakia.sk. 6 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "Team Roster Slovakia" (PDF). iihf.com. 12 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "Slovenských hokejistov povedie Čech Vladimír Vůjtek" (in Slovak). 17 August 2011. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Juraj Okolicany 1943–2008". International Ice Hockey Federation. 10 September 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  7. ↑ "IIHF HoF 2008". International Ice Hockey Federation. 16 May 2008. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  8. ↑ "Vo veku 65 rokov zomrel Juraj Okoličány, Golonka zarmútený". HokejPortal.sk (in Slovak). 10 September 2008. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  9. ↑ Magáth, Tomáš (10 September 2008). "Zomrel Juraj Okoličány". Noviny.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  10. ↑ "Slovakia - National Teams of Ice Hockey". nationalteamsoficehockey.com. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
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