One of the headliners for Slovakia at the 2025 World Junior Championship will be St. Louis Blues prospect Dalibor Dvorsky, the No. 10 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. And rightfully so after the center chose to represent Slovakia one more time in Ottawa. 2023 third-round pick will represent Slovakia with Dalibor Dvorsky But don't sleep on Dvorsky's international teammate, Juraj Pekarcik, another Blues prospect; one of a franchise record nine Blues to play in the tournament, which begins Thursday and runs through Jan. 5. Pekarcik, 19, made a jump from Dubuque of the USHL last season to Moncton of the QMJHL this season and the switch has been nothing short of amazing for the forward. He has 35 points (12 goals, 23 points) in 29 games for the Wildcats and is on pace for 79 points (27 goals, 52 assists) in 66 games [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/players/adam-jiricek-returns-from-injury-with-a-bang], but like his fellow countryman Dvorsky, Pekarcik will put his club season on hold for one last chance to help Slovakia medal this year. The Wildcats are 24-5-2-0 and in first place in the Eastern Conference, and Pekarcik is one of the driving forces. Now he'll step into the spotlight again; he had a goal and two assists for Slovakia last year and will be determined to fuel his country this year. "Pekarcik when he was playing last year, he's a player that was in the USHL that was very tough to put points on the board," Blues assistant general manager Tim Taylor said. "He's a player that drives through another player. He doesn't go around, he drives through them. That's one thing when you talk about a St. Louis Blue, he's kind of indicative of the history of what the Blues are all about. Big body, strong on pucks and plays through guys. "I'm not surprised at the points because he plays the right way. He's a detailed kid. He's not offensively skilled where he's going to beat you 1-on-1 or 1-on-3 where he's going to go around the team. He goes through guys and plays the right way. His points are coming from his details and his work ethic and playing the right way. I'm really happy with his season so far. He's in a great situation with great ownership and great coaching staff there in Moncton. We were happy when they traded for him because we knew it would be a good environment for him. From Dubuque last year to here, Dubuque was a really good transition team too from the USHL. We've been really excited about his work ethic and such a great kid too. "No matter what organization these kids are involved in. It's really at the end of the day their character and their personality is going to allow that growth. We've been really fortunate that we've had some really good kids and their growth is really because of the determination and the work that they put in." Of the 29 games Pekarcik played in this season, he's only been held off the scoresheet five times, and three of those came in the first seven games. He should be ready to roll and going in with a full head of confidence for Slovakia, which opens pool play Thursday when it faces last year's silver medalists, Sweden, and fellow Blues prospects in Otto Stenberg and Theo Lindstein at 11 a.m. (CT) on NHL Network in the US and TSN in Canada. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA5MjcwNjk1MDQ0MDY0NDYy/subscribe2024-front-banner.jpg]
