Team Slovakia right now

[Outofbodyinhungary]

Is there a serious chance of Slovakia being relegated from the top-pool? Probably not this year as they will put up some performance at the home-tournament but only two years ago Slovakia only narrowly avoided relegation by beating Italy but losing to everyone else.

Depends if we get nhl players than no there is no chance. Sorry to doubters. If we don’t get nhl players than it’s going down to the wire. But Slovak hockey federation will be satifisied as long as we stay in top group...

 

[alko]

Yes, we were 1 minute from getting relegated 2 years ago

Also in 2008 was Slovak team very close. In the playout games vs Slovenia they won first game. But the second one only in shootouts. If they had lost this second game, there were 3. game on schedule. And who knows, how would it end?

But now i dont think, they are close to relegation.

 

[mirec04]

Also in 2008 was Slovak team very close. In the playout games vs Slovenia they won first game. But the second one only in shootouts. If they had lost this second game, there were 3. game on schedule. And who knows, how would it end?

But now i dont think, they are close to relegation.

I agree with you. We played without any system for many years, relying only on our talented players that they somehow win.
When our best generation was slowly retiring, we started to have serious problems.
Thanks to God Miro Satan became our GM and he named Craig Ramsey for our couch. I can see on our way of game that it has some system... finally. Of course there is no such talent as in the past, but still I think that we belong on maybe 8th/9th place in the world ..
Hopefully we stopped our decline. now it is time to change many things in the hockey infrastructure, education, motivation, trustworthiness so the sponsors will invest more money into hockey, we need to eliminate or completely remove corruption, etc..
I think our hockey federation is already doing some changes but IMO they could do it more quickly although it is still better than doing nothing as our previous management...
Craig Ramsey wondered himself that we changed nothing but were expecting better results... insane

 

[member 305909]

Dont you think that being relegated two years ago might even have been useful as a kind of a wake-up call? After all, as hosts this year you would have had a guaranteed promotion back.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Dont you think that being relegated two years ago might even have been useful as a kind of a wake-up call? After all, as hosts this year you would have had a guaranteed promotion back.

I think Slovaks, for the most part, are aware their hockey state is what it is they just struggle to get money to make it better. Even Slovan can't seem to attract a big budget. It's like they were overperforming in the old days rather than underperforming now.

 

[slovakiasnextone]

Dont you think that being relegated two years ago might even have been useful as a kind of a wake-up call? After all, as hosts this year you would have had a guaranteed promotion back.

It wouldn't help, there were plenty of other wake up calls over the past decade or so like the u18 team getting relegated. If anything the men's team relegating could actually serve to decrease the amount of money that Slovak hockey gets from partners. According to the federation both the number of partners and the amount of money they get from sponsors has increased over the past few years.

Also there are some pretty recent development projects starting such as setting up a system of development regions with regional instructors and managers.

They are also getting people from abroad involved, such as Jukka Tikkaja from Finland.

Although I will remain skeptical about those projects until they show results , it's not like they are doing nothing at the moment.

There's another thing though, the current leadership has a shortened mandate that will end following the home IHWC and one has to wonder if they will be able to get enough support to continue the things they started at all.

 

[singlesliceofcheese]

It's so sad to see what the Slovakian product has become. I'd love to see a rebound, but I just do not see it happening any time soon.

 

[mirec04]

Dont you think that being relegated two years ago might even have been useful as a kind of a wake-up call? After all, as hosts this year you would have had a guaranteed promotion back.

There would be no guaranteed promotion for this year in case of relegation.

 

[member 305909]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the way I have understood how this system goes is that as Latvia and Belarus are co-hosts in 2021 if Latvia are relegated this year they are certain to be promoted back next year.

Similarly if Belarus fail get promoted back this year they surely will next year.

Switzerland cant be relegated this year as they are hosts next year.

I"m not entirely sure if Switzerland finish last in their group this year does it mean that the second last is relegated or nobody is relegated from that group.

In case of Switzerland it is totally hypothetical speculation. If they finish last in their group, not being relegated would be poor consolation as I guess they expected a bit better result.

 

[mirec04]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the way I have understood how this system goes is that as Latvia and Belarus are co-hosts in 2021 if Latvia are relegated this year they are certain to be promoted back next year.

Similarly if Belarus fail get promoted back this year they surely will next year.

Switzerland cant be relegated this year as they are hosts next year.

I"m not entirely sure if Switzerland finish last in their group this year does it mean that the second last is relegated or nobody is relegated from that group.

In case of Switzerland it is totally hypothetical speculation. If they finish last in their group, not being relegated would be poor consolation as I guess they expected a bit better result.

You are only partially right. there was lot of discussion here in Slovakia about this 2 years ago. So if nothing changed meanwhile it is like this:
Switzerland can not be relegated this year as they are hosts next year . In case they would be last in their group (this will surely not happen) the team from 7th place in the group would be relegated.
Latvia can be relegated this year and does not have guaranteed promotion next year. And similarly Belarus does not have guarantee of promotion from B group this year.
So theoretically it is possible that the championship will be without host country.

 

[member 305909]

Thanks mirec04! That makes perfect sense.

Thinking about it, if hosts were guaranteed promotion it would lead to a ludicrous situation if Latvia were relegated this year and Belarus failed to win promotion. It would make a very boring div 1a-tournament in 2020.

 

[Frelimo]

To get back to the OP's second question: Halak strikes me as a goalie capable of stealing a game and there's enough firepower to potentially pot a goal or two against one of the top teams, but it would now be a major upset for Slovakia to beat any one of Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, or the United States. It would also be somewhat of a less major upset to beat Switzerland and the Czechs.

Here's hoping for some resurgence of hockey in Slovakia. Ever since Slovakia got screwed (in my opinion at least) in the 2002 Olympics I've been cheering for them - especially in the 2010 Olympics.

 

[jaro]

Panik - Hudacek - Tatar
Cehlarik - Dano - Bakos
Nagy - Kristof - Jurco
Studenic - Marcinko - Bucek

Sekera - Cernak
Chara - Jaros
Marincin - Fehervary
Cajkovsky - Ceresnak

Halak
Rybar

 

[alko]

Libor Hudacek is playing his best game. He should be definitely there.

 

[member 305909]

To get back to the OP's second question: Halak strikes me as a goalie capable of stealing a game and there's enough firepower to potentially pot a goal or two against one of the top teams, but it would now be a major upset for Slovakia to beat any one of Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, or the United States. It would also be somewhat of a less major upset to beat Switzerland and the Czechs.

Here's hoping for some resurgence of hockey in Slovakia. Ever since Slovakia got screwed (in my opinion at least) in the 2002 Olympics I've been cheering for them - especially in the 2010 Olympics.

Surely most hockey-fans in Slovakia have very fond memories of 2002. Provided that they are old enough to remember 17 years back.

 

[slovakiasnextone]

Surely most hockey-fans in Slovakia have very fond memories of 2002. Provided that they are old enough to remember 17 years back.

Of course we do

But for a long time a lot of fans were very bitter about the 2002 Olympics too. I think we have had way too many other things to be bitter about since in regards to Slovak hockey since to look back at it too much these days.

 

[alko]

Of course we do

But for a long time a lot of fans were very bitter about the 2002 Olympics too. I think we have had way too many other things to be bitter about since in regards to Slovak hockey since to look back at it too much these days.

For me personal was the 1998 Olympic fiasco much more heartbreaking as the 2002 fiasco.

 

[Eidyia]

Michal Kristof has been excellent for Kärpät, much better than expected and he has been getting better and better as the season grows older.

I'm not sure if he's ever good enough to play in the NHL but he wouldn't be the first smallish guy (Donskoi, Aho) from Kärpät to make it as a full-time NHL'er.

Today he absolutely dominated against TPS, the second best team in the Finnish league.


He's a fan favourite in Oulu!

 

[ForsbergForever]

How did Slovakia go from a team full of NHL stars to that sad Division II team it is today. It's like a whole generation of players failed to develop. I remember the glory days of:

Gaborik-Demitra-Hossa
Satan-Stumpel-Palffy
Bartecko-Handzus-Bondra
Svatos-Kapus-Zednik

Chara-Visnovsky
Meszaros-Jurcina
Majesky-Strbak

Budaj

 

[Outofbodyinhungary]

How did Slovakia go from a team full of NHL stars to that sad Division II team it is today. It's like a whole generation of players failed to develop. I remember the glory days of:

Gaborik-Demitra-Hossa
Satan-Stumpel-Palffy
Bartecko-Handzus-Bondra
Svatos-Kapus-Zednik

Chara-Visnovsky
Meszaros-Jurcina
Majesky-Strbak

Budaj

Corruption, lack of facilities, overall negative demeanour, lack of enthusiasm, lack of effort. You name it we got it over here in Slovakia. Oh yeah and football has become much more popular than before. Plus the people in charge are criminals who would sell their own families out to the commies. Somehow they weren’t “put away” after the regime died.

 

[alko]

How did Slovakia go from a team full of NHL stars to that sad Division II team it is today.

Uf, you somehow overreacted. True,not so much bog stars. But it is far away from a Division II. They could still build a good team.

 

[Ducks76]

Any actual argument for it? Swiss have a bigger difference maker now, more NHL bodies and an endless supply of solid options in Europe. What do the Slovaks have that Swiss can't counter? And outside of the top-4 your options are terrible altogether, Ceresnak is the only one having a solid season.

Realistically, the days than Switzerland vs. Slovakia was an actual comparison are gone. I think Slovak fans need to switch to "well, we are still better than Germany" mode to make feel themselves better. And it would actually be an interesting debate.

"Endless"!

 

[slovakiasnextone]

How did Slovakia go from a team full of NHL stars to that sad Division II team it is today. It's like a whole generation of players failed to develop. I remember the glory days of:

Gaborik-Demitra-Hossa
Satan-Stumpel-Palffy
Bartecko-Handzus-Bondra
Svatos-Kapus-Zednik

Chara-Visnovsky
Meszaros-Jurcina
Majesky-Strbak

Budaj

Asides from what has been said already, it also needs to be pointed out that that generation of players was an exception rather than a rule. In the 70s there were big numbers of kids born in Czechoslovakia and the options the kids had were rather limited than the options today's kids have with an open world and there are fewer of them. It's not that the kid's today are different, it's just that the times have changed.

And for the longest time instead of adapting to the new time, the people in Slovak hockey have been just complaining about how terrible kids these days are and recalling how many kids they used to have in times long gone.

A lot of it was that we keep living in the past and its glory (even in things that are no longer so glorious anymore).

Hopefully with Jukka Tikkaja working for the federation now, they have at least somewhat adapted and reacted to the changes in the world. I have some doubts about it given how they are involving former hockey players with no experience in coaching in position where you need actual experts if you want to see a change...

But only time will tell that. Also, of course even if the federation changes, things also need to change in the clubs from within and there is only so much the federation can do in that regard.

 

[lostinwarsaw]

At least we are better than Hungary, and same applies in football. Oh well... hard to change when older generation was brain washed.

 

[tobu]

So looking at Slovaks in NHL teams that either won't make playoff or are possible outsiders in round 1 and looking at our best in EU, my shot at possible roster

Panik - Hudacek - Tatar
Skalicky - Dano - Bakos
Nagy - Kristof - Jurco
Liska - Lantosi - Bucek
(Bondra, Studenic)

Sekera -Fehervary
Daloga - Jaros
Cajkovsky - Ceresnak
(Stajnoch)

Konrad - Janus

I'm assuming Tampa, Boston and Toronto will go far, that leaves Cehlarik, Chara, Cernak, Marincin out of IHWC.