| Simon Nemec | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovakia2 | R | D | 6’1″ | 192 | Liptovsky Mikulas, SVK | 2004 | 2021-2022: A |
#7 Team Slovakia – Nemec is smooth smart and able to be used in all situations. He uses his feet to generate passing lanes and expose flat footed forecheckers. With the puck on his stick he has ice water in his veins and regularly showed the poise to draw opponents to him only to make a pass through the triangle or between the feet. His passes are NHL caliber right now and he has the ability to handle any type of pass at full speed. A powerful stride allows him to accelerate quickly and an exceptional glide allows him to stay there without much effort. Nemec displays leadership qualities and it was obvious that his teammates looked to him to set the pace. He averaged 21:34 per game and finished the tournament with 1 goal and 5 assists.
| Juraj Slafkovsky | TPS | Liiga | L | LW | 6’4″ | 215 | Kosice, SVK | 2004 | 2021-2022: A |
#8 Team Slovakia – Slafkovsky has the size and mobility to be in National League training camps this Fall. You would expect there to be awkwardness or stiffness in a player so young and so big, not with him. He has a fluid stride, crossovers with acceleration from a powerful under push and shows quickness when coming out of a hard stop to change directions. We like how committed he was to making a difference at both ends of the rink and he was regularly an F1 on the forecheck only to be seen flying past his teammates to be F1 in the defensive zone on the same shift. His first touch allows him to make skillful passes when receiving a bouncing puck and he settles passes quickly on his backhand. Slafkovsky has the hand eye coordination to quick stick bouncing rebounds and routinely gets his stick on point shots when he is the net fron t presence. He is a high end NHL prospect with excellent body control and a love for scoring goals.
| Dalibor Dvorsky | AIK J20 | J20 Nationell | L | C | 6’0″ | 185 | Zvolen, SVK | 2005 | 2022-2023: Not yet rated |
#15 Team Slovakia – Ultra poised, ultra skilled and truly a unique offensive mind and talent. Dvorsky does not need much time or space to do something creative with the puck or to set up one of his teammates for a scoring opportunity. He feels pressure really well. He will allow an opponent to get on his back, to invade his space and let them feel like they’re forcing him into a poor decision or spot on the ice. Only to have him make a quick tape to tape pass and then burst into the open ice with more time and space than anyone else on the ice. His hands are quick, strong and soft. Offensively his hockey IQ seems to be one second ahead of everyone else on the ice as he routinely pounces on scoring opportunities before anyone else realizes where the puck is. He is not NHL draft eligible until 2023, but he is going to be as highly watched and highly scrutinized as any player over the next 22 months.
| Peter Repcik | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovakia2 | L | C | 6’0″ | 176 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 2021 | Kosice, SVK | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
#21 Team Slovakia – A left shot winger who thrived on the right side. Repcik has an excellent motor and literally has the mindset to out work his opponent during every situation. He wins races to loose pucks. He lifts defender’s sticks at every opportunity so he and his linemates can win 50-50 battles. His is speed and quickness were asset in every situation, but he dominated when it came to offensive zone cycling and then winning races back to the front the opponent’s net so their goalie never had clear sight lines. On Team Slovakia’s power play Repcik was a constant net front presence who has the quickness to jump on any rebound within ten feet of the paint. As a puck carrier his pace through the neutral zone allowed for clean zone entries where he showed an understanding of attacking the middle, dishing wide to the dot line and then accelerating to the crease to cause chaos. Repcik finished the Hlinka Gretzky with 4 goals, 4 assists and really made a lasting impression on Neutral Zone’s staff.
| Filip Mesar | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovakia2 | R | C | 5’10” | 165 | Spisska Bela, SVK | 2004 | 2021-2022: C+ |
#10 Team Slovakia – Mesar is a maximum effort right shot forward who can play all three forward positions. He has quick powerful strides and plays a fearless style when it comes to hunting loose pucks or taking away opponent’s time and space. He seemed to always be around the action and has a knack for pulling a puck off the wall, quickly locating an open teammate and utilizing a give and go to generate scoring opportunities. Mesar did not earn significant penalty kill minutes, but he was on constant factor on the power play where is first touch and ability to use the bumper made him an asset on the mid-wall. He finished the tournament with 2 goals and 6 assists.
| Adam Sykora | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovakia2 | L | RW | 5’10” | 172 | Piestany, SVK | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#14 Team Slovakia – We liked Sykora’s game because he was counted on and was effective in all situations. As an F1 his speed caused poor decisions and bad outlet passes all tournament. He finished checks in all three zones and looked to establish body contact both with and without the puck. He plays the game with emotion, was involved in post whistle scrums and used his acceleration to draw penalties. At this point we feel Sykora may be a long shot to be drafted, but the fact that his coaches used him in all key situations shows you what type of player he is.
| Alex Ciernik | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovakia2 | L | RW | 5’10” | 170 | Wolfsburg, GER | 2004 | 2022-2023: Not yet rated |
#22 Team Slovakia – The late 2004 plays like a goal scorer and an opportunist. Ciernik is patient, both with and without the puck, and does not force plays or hurry decisions. Instead he plays a calculated game that allows him to vanish and then reappear into the high slot while Team Slovakia had puck possession especially in the offensive zone. He showed good quickness when racing for loose pucks and had good straight line speed when backchecking into the high slot. As a late 04 and his history for scoring goals we feel Ciernik is a player to watch over the next few years.
| David Natny | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovakia2 | L | D | 6’2″ | 180 | Martin, SVK | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#24 Team Slovakia – The long Natny is a left shot defender who played both sides throughout the tournament. Offensively he played a straight forward game that kept him out of trouble. He showed good awareness when activating from the offensive blueline, when either going back door or moving down the strong side wall for a pick or scissor play. In transition he moved the puck quickly and has the ability to make soft touch passes with either his forehand or backhand. In his defensive zone there were times during while defending the cycle that he became a puck watcher, but he showed athleticism when recovering and had a very deceptive poke check that forced loose pucks.
| Ondrej Molnar | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovakia2 | L | LW | 5’11” | 165 | Nitra, SVK | 2005 | 2022-2023: Not yet rated |
#11 Team Slovakia – Molnar has personality and looks to express himself every shift. While on offense he’s constantly buzzing around the ice, looking for quiet areas in the coverage and then demanding the puck. He wants the puck and feels like he can make a play that will lead to a goal on every shift. As a 2005 he is still developing power and upper body strength but his foot speed, agility and ability to glide without losing speed are things that differentiate him from his peers. He forechecks with the intent of creating turnovers that lead to scoring chances. His pursuit while backchecking leads to his opponents making poor decisions and in an instant he’s ready to attack. He’s deceptive with the puck and looks to make plays in all three zones. Molnar is a highly entertaining player who Neutral Zone will be watching closely.
| Servac Petrovsky | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovakia2 | L | C | 5’11” | 170 | Owen Sound Attack | 2021 | Velky Saris, SVK | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#26 Team Slovakia – Petrovsky played the Hlinka Gretzky Cup like his life depended on it. Every shift he looked for anyway possible to be a difference maker and have a positive impact. He took key defensive zone face-offs, he blocked shots, he sacrificed his body for the good of Team Slovakia. He might not have worn a letter, but he carried himself like a leader and his energy was infectious. Offensively his ability to manipulate the opposing defender’s gaps make him dangerous on line rushes. He deceptively changes speeds and his edge control allows him to exploit the open ice. The ability to change speeds also makes his snap shot very dangerous because he can shoot with his feet moving while changing release points. In the defensive zone he is a reliable center who provides close support on loose pucks while still showing the awareness to maintain net side positioning. His tournament face-off percentage was 56%. We were excited to learn that Petrovsky is heading to the Ontario Hockey league to play for Owen Sound this year.
| Jozef Viliam Kmec | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovakia2 | R | D | 6’3″ | 200 | Prince George Cougars | 2021 | Kosice, SVK | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#6 Team Slovakia – Kmec is heading to the Western Hockey League for the 2021-22 season and we feel this is the right call for his overall development. He has NHL size right now, but needs to play on a smaller ice sheet and really learn how to use his powerful frame to his advantage. He is a very explosive straight line skater who at this level showed separational speed while retrieving dump-ins or while joining the rush, but we feel he will need to improve his posture while retreating because he can get too far on his toes. In neutral zone he receives passes smoothly and hits his forwards in stride. He showed good lateral mobility along the offensive blue line and liked to be involved in scissor plays or crashing back door. In the defensive zone he can be a bit of a puck watcher, but we feel this is where the staff in Prince George will really help his development. We’re not sure if he’s on anyone’s draft list yet, but his size and skating will get him immediately noticed in the WHL and if he can answer the bell NHL eyes will be on him nightly.
| Rastislav Elias | Team Slovakia U18 | Slovakia2 | L | G | 6’3″ | 176 | Nyiregihaza | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#1 Team Slovakia – Elias’ Hlinka Gretzky Cup was a tale of two goaltenders. Against Finland, Sweden, Germany and the United States he was totally in control and very confident. Rebounds did not exist and his anticipation was excellent on passes through the royal road. He played at the top of his crease and showed poise when the opponents tried to outwait him. In the two games against Russia Elias was deeper in his crease while his posture showed that his shoulders were out beyond his toes. In truth Russian did have some seeing eye shots, but there were more rebounds and he appeared less confident. His save percentage versus Russia was 0.785%. His save percentage versus the other participants was 0.933%. Maybe he just got himself too hyped up to play against the Red Machine, or maybe they had just that much more fire power.