While Slovenia won't be at the World Juniors in Ottawa this December, this month they'll play for the opportunity jump into the top circuit.
Joining them for the first time is Gatineau Olympiques defenseman Jan Golicic.
Golicic, 18, has picked up 20 points (3+17) over 26 games this season as an alternate captain of the Olympiques.
He joined Gatineau last season as the team's first round import selection after he spent the last two seasons in Austria.
The 6-foot-5 blueliner's 29-point (3+26) rookie campaign was good enough to become the eighth Slovenian player to get drafted to the NHL. Drafted at 118th overall to the Lightning, Golicic is the second highest drafted Slovenian player in NHL history, behind eventual Hall of Famer Anze Kopitar.
Golicic has represented Slovenia twice at major tournaments, both with at the U-18 level. Across both tournaments, he's collected a total of 12 points (5+7) over 10 games at the Division I-B Under-18 World Championships, first winning silver and then securing gold.
He'll become the third member of his family to play for the under-20 squad, following in the footsteps of his father Jurij (2001) and uncle Bostjan (2008, 2009).
The tournament kicks off December 9th in Bled, Slovenia -- where Golicic played in his mid-teens -- with the gold medal game taking place on the 15th.