On Monday, the Slovak Ice Hockey Association named its 25-man roster for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament in Bratislava, and it’s since been a source of discussion for who was and wasn’t included.
Among the omissions were NHLers Juraj Slafkovský and Erik Černák. It has been widely speculated that their club teams asked them to decline their nominations.
Another interesting omission was Peter Cehlárik, who was the top forward at the 2021 IIHF World Championship and played on Slovakia’s top forward line with Slafkovský and Marek Hrivík at this year’s Worlds.
“When they said I wasn’t selected, my feeling was that they didn’t need me,” the winger told Swedish newspaper Falu-Kurinen. Cehlárik plays for Leksand in the SHL. “It's hard to hear. I want to be the guy they need.”
Cehlárik, 29, was a third-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 2013 and recorded 11 points in 40 NHL games for the Bruins between 2016 and 2020. He has represented Slovakia at four World Championships and was also on the team for the last Olympic cycle – being a member of the team that won the qualifying tournament in Bratislava and then won a bronze medal in Beijing.
“I was frustrated, of course, because I’ve felt involved in the national team’s development for the past four or five years,” Cehlárik said according to HockeyNews.se. “I want to be a mainstay on the national team but obviously I’m not there right now. It gives me extra motivation to play even better this year and show them so I get the chance again. So this decision gives me extra energy.”
“Every year the players change and it’s important that we have leaders,” national team head coach Craig Ramsay said at the press conference where the team was announced. “Some could not come for various reasons. Cehlárik said that he will be available for the next event. I am convinced that we will do our best with what we have.”
“The reason is that I did not receive an invitation,” Cehlárik clarified to Slovak media shortly afterward. “I was told over the phone that I would not be part of the team for the time being. I’m healthy and I was ready to play. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the guys to make it through the qualification and then we’ll fight for places directly to the Olympics.”
The Slovak roster was also newsworthy due to the inclusion of three KHL players. Previously, players from the Russian-based circuit had been excluded from the Slovak national team due to the league’s support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The reversal of the Slovak Ice Hockey Association’s policy was questioned by brothers Kristián and Martin Pospíšil, who considered declining their nominations to the squad before ultimately agreeing to play.
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