Re-Unite Slovakia and the Czechs

[DarrylshutzSydor]

If you ever get a chance to take a winter vacation and visit Czechia and Slovakia and go see some elite division games then do so.......amazingly fun, graet food, and super kind people!

 

[Czechboy]

Lets unite Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, they haven't won in a long time. It increases their chances and make them competitive, I think that would make both of their teams' fans happy. Don't you wanna win guys?

Let's combine Russia with latvia, Belarus, ukraine and Lithuania too.. let's just eliminate all the small nations.

Germans with Austria and Switzerland.

Denmark with Sweden.

Leafs with Senators.

Flames with Oilers.

Rangers/Devils/Islanders

Penguins/Flyers

I'm here all night.lol

 

[mr figgles]

Amalgamate the US and Canadian teams into the UK National Team too.

One of us fought our way out. The other is still a subject of the queen.

 

[smitty10]

It would just be Team Czech Republic with 3 Slovaks, at the cost of removing a mid-tier team

This.

The only Slovaks who would have made the Czech team are Chromiak, Knazko and Cajkovic (if he wasn't kicked out for running his own teammates in camp). Maybe Nemec or Stacha too.

 

[slovakiasnextone]

Ahh, it's been a while since we have had one of these...

 

[SotasicA]

They should play the tournament with players representing the NHL team that drafted them.

 

[GermanNuck]

Let’s just make it Canada, USA, Europe and “technically kind of also Europe but Russia”—Russia.

 

[McCullogh]

Sweden + Finland as "The three lions". That should be a powerful entity represnting the nordic (if a Dane or a Norwegian is good enough they can also be invited to the team.

So we can have touraments with these four powerhouses:
CzechandSlovkia vs.UnitedStatesandCanada
Swefindenland -RussiandRestofThWord

 

[Daeni10]

I know its crazy but we could make Team Europe and unite all the EU players outside of Sweden, Finland and Russia. In addition to that we would have Team USA and Team Canada. We need to find an 8th team though. Maybe have a team with the best u18 prospects in all of North America?

 

[cleveland408]

Does anyone else want to see a Quebec team?

 

[matsqq]

It will not be possible, Slovakians doesn't want to play in the defence and Czechs are not to keen on it either ...

 

[vil]

Really sad for us Czechs that this is seriously debated. With our history. Just sad.

I was born in Czechoslovakia but that country does not exist today. I am happy to live in Europe and cheer for the european team in golf for example.

But ice hockey? Even if it means we play in the B tournament I would be happier to watch that than cheer for some blasphemous amalgamation or NHL marketing device.

 

[Kibe]

Really sad for us Czechs that this is seriously debated. With our history. Just sad.

I was born in Czechoslovakia but that country does not exist today. I am happy to live in Europe and cheer for the european team in golf for example.

But ice hockey? Even if it means we play in the B tournament I would be happier to watch that than cheer for some blasphemous amalgamation or NHL marketing device.

Its not seriously debated at all tho.

 

[Durnberg]

Sometimes I don’t like the score, can we abolish that all together? Then none of this would be necessary.

 

[Tuoppi]

I know its crazy but we could make Team Europe and unite all the EU players outside of Sweden, Finland and Russia. In addition to that we would have Team USA and Team Canada. We need to find an 8th team though. Maybe have a team with the best u18 prospects in all of North America?

Or maybe the u18 world champion could be put to the lowest division of u20 to try to fight to the top division. Also the u20 world champion to the lowest division of mens championship. Womens champion to the lowest division of mens u18. Womens u18 winner to the lowest division of womens championship.

 

[Elvs]

I have no idea why people keep talking about the Czech's as if they aren't competitive. Their Olympic roster today would look something like:

Kubalik - Krejci - Pastrnak
Vrana - Hertl - Voracek
Palat - Faksa - Necas
Jaskin - Chytil - Kase

Kempny - Gudas
Simek - Hronek
Hajek - Rutta

Francouz
Mrazek
​

Yes, they are clearly the 6th ranked nation but still good enough to compete for medals, even gold medals if everything gels. The defence is a definite weak spot, but in a short tournament finding quick chemistry and playing good team defence is more important than being good individually.

Only Krejci is going to be older than 32 when the Olympics comes around in 2022. Meanwhile Kubalik and Kase are currently 25, Pastrnak and Vrana are 24, Hronek is 23, Hajek is 22 and Necas and Chytil are 21. In other words, this team is only going to be better when the Olympics start.

On paper, the Czechs are stronger than the Finnish team that managed to win bronze in 2014.

---

The Slovak's are a different story of course:

Tatar - Hudacek - Panik
Cehlarik - Hrivik - Lantosi
Jurco - Ruzicka - Studenic
Pospisil - Pospisil - Lunter

Sekera - Cernak
Chara - Fehervary
Marincin - Jaros

Halak
Godla
​

They are arguably better than the Czechs on defense, and could have equally good goaltending in Halak (but should he suck there's no solid backup). The main problem here is obviously the forwards, or lack there of. What is now their first and second line would at one point have been their third and fourth line.

By 2022, I hope Chara will be retired. I don't wanna see him on big ice at the age of 45. They have a good KHL defenseman in Michal Cajkovsky, and hopefully Cernak, Fehervary and Jaros continues to make progress before the Olympics start. Hopefully a couple of their young AHL forwards will also be NHL players by then.

Regardless, the Slovak's will be good enough to compete for a quarter final spot. From there, anything more would be an upset, but they are good enough to surprise in at least one game. You don't have to look any further than the 2019 World Championship, where they beat USA 4-1 and lost to Canada 5-6 (the game winner was scored with only two seconds remaining, ouch).

All in all, less than a handful of Slovakia's players would make the Czech Olympic team. So apart from the other obvious reasons why national team's shouldn't be mixed together (other than for fun HFboards fantasy teams). There's no reason to combine their rosters. Slovakia finally has some good prospects on the way, and should be stronger in 2026 and 2030.

---

Edit: I realize this thread is about the World Juniors, but it's all connected. The purpose of these U20 teams is to prepare them for the men's international stage, and for their RESPECTIVE national teams.

 

[RBbandit]

I would take it two steps further and unite Austria, Czech, Slovakia and Germany and call it the Bavarian team. Canada would still beat them but it might be a bit closer.

If something let's call it Austria-Hungary or Holy Roman Empire ) It has at least some partly historical relevance.
The whole "Some of Europe" Team aka the World Cup team from 2016 is just BS from a European perspective. Of course, it's the NHL tournament and NHL rules but just not pretend there is any other motivation (national teams competition) but making big money.

 

[fredrikstad]

We don't need less countries that play hockey but more. It's a 5 team sport currently as far as gold favorites go. That puts us on the level of Cricket and Rugby.

Czechs are consistently 6th at Juniors and Best on Best's. Slovaks a little lower historically.

If you combine the teams at Jrs or Best on Best, that would mean 4 Czechs are out of a job and 4 Slovaks are on the team.

The new Czechoslovakia still finishes 6th because the difference between us and the big 5 is not adding Tomas Tatar and cutting Jakub Vrana. Or cutting Pavel Francouz for Jaro Halak. Or cutting Jan Rutta for Zdeno Chara (today).

Now you still have a 6th place team but no more Slovakia.

All this does is shrink a already small talent pool in the world of hockey.

Please know I love the Slovak team and cheer for them when they aren't playing us. I'd hate to see them disappear.

If a certain sections of fans in Canada are concerned about lack of competition and certain fans hate the blowouts.. then they should help countries like this get better.. not combine and eliminate a country.

On the contrary, we should divide the us in to 50 separate countries. Each us citizen, could only compete for the state they were born in. And of course they must qualify for the tiers, starting at the lowest level. Minnesota could take usa's place. Just like the EU countries. In that way, we increase the number of national teams.

 

[Elvs]

Lets unite Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, they haven't won in a long time. It increases their chances and make them competitive, I think that would make both of their teams' fans happy. Don't you wanna win guys?

In soccer, maybe combine USA and Canada with Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia? Everyone gets better. Everyone is happy.

 

[RorschachWJK]

A combined Finland & Sweden team would actually be damn good. A powerhouse and a gold contender every year.

 

[Elvs]

A combined Finland & Sweden team would actually be damn good. A powerhouse and a gold contender every year.

Or better yet, if Sweden and Finland stays separated, they make for two separate gold contenders!

 

[RorschachWJK]

Or better yet, if Sweden and Finland stays separated, they make for two separate gold contenders!

I know. I wasn't really clamoring for a union

 

[OscarsCards]

lol... you better go back to 4chan basement dweller

 

[kudla]

Lets kick all european teams and fill this tournament with USA and 9 canadian teams

 

[Past Considerations]

Lets kick all european teams and fill this tournament with USA and 9 canadian teams

Still needs some Canada-Soviet...err Russia rivalry so throw Soviet...err Russia in there.