The Deutschland Cup isn’t for another couple of weeks but Slovakia has already announced its roster for the four-team event that will run from Nov 7 to 10 in Landshut, Germany. Other than the Slovaks and the host nation, Austria and Denmark will also compete.
With NHL, AHL and KHL players unavailable, and with the stakes much lower, the roster looks significantly different than the one that qualified for the Olympics a couple of months ago in Bratislava. The only returning players from that roster are defenseman Michal Ivan and forwards Miloš Roman, Lukáš Cingel and Kristián Pospíšil.
Notably named to this team is winger Peter Cehlárik, who has represented Slovakia on many occasions in the past and was a bit of a surprising exclusion from the Olympic qualifying roster. Veteran defenseman Marek Ďaloga will make his first appearance for the national team since the 2022 Olympics.
Most players named have played for Slovakia at one time or another but two players will be making their senior national team debuts – 20-year-old goaltender Rastislav Eliaš, who has had a fine start to the season with IFK Helsinki in the Finnish Liiga, and 23-year-old defenseman Oliver Turan, who is already captain of his Slovak Extraliga team in Poprad.
“We always try to see someone new at the beginning of the season,” said GM Miroslav Šatan. “Turan has a lot of space in Poprad, and he will get the opportunity to show himself in the national team as well.”
“It’s great – something I’ve been trying to do since I left the junior national team,” Turan said about making the team. “I’m so glad it’s happened this season. I can’t wait to play for the national team.”
Goaltenders: Rastislav Eliaš (IFK Helsinki, Finland), Matej Tomek (Litvínov, Czechia).
Defensemen: Michal Ivan, Rayen Petrovický (both Liberec, Czechia), Marek Ďaloga (Kometa Brno, Czechia), Andrej Golian (Slovan Bratislava), Marek Korenčík (Olomouc, Czechia), Dávid Mudrák (Hradec Králové, Czechia), Marko Stacha (Nitra), Oliver Turan (Poprad).
Forwards: Viliam Čacho, Patrik Hrehorčák, Miloš Roman (all Třinec, Czechia), Adam Lukošik, Jakub Minárik, Samuel Takáč (all Slovan Bratislava), Lukáš Cingel, Kristián Pospíšil (both Kometa Brno, Czechia), Samuel Buček (Nitra), Peter Cehlárik (Leksand, Sweden), Martin Faško-Rudáš (Liberec, Czechia), Matej Kašlík (České Budějovice, Czechia), Šimon Petráš (Košice), Alex Tamáši (Hradec Králové, Czechia).