Honzek and Team Slovakia handed their Czechia rivals a 6-2 beating
Samuel Honzek scored once and added an assist as Slovakia opened the 2024 world junior tournament in Sweden with a 6-2 thumping of Czechia on Tuesday.
Honzek, the Calgary Flames’ first-round selection (16th overall) in the 2023 draft, is the club’s lone prospect at the tournament in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Slovakia is considered a legitimate medal contender.
With Slovakia up 2-1, Honzek netted a power-play goal 82 seconds into the third period when he on the spot for a rebound to shove home for what held up as the game-winning goal.
Honzek had a hand setting up the game's final goal. He finished with a plus-3 rating.
This is the third trip to the tournament for the left-winger. Last season, Honzek played only two games before suffering a leg laceration from a skate. A lower-body injury suffered in the Flames preseason sidelined him for two months before joining the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.
Honzek, the Giants captain, played only five games, in which he collected three goals and seven points, before leaving for the tournament.
The victory over their biggest rivals is a huge start for the Slovaka, who last medalled at the world juniors in 2015.
Slovakia plays Switzerland on Wednesday.