| Slovakia | |
| Badge: | Slovakia national ice hockey team badge.svg |
| Badge Size: | 140px |
| Nickname: | Naši chlapci (Our Boys) |
| Association: | Slovak Ice Hockey Federation |
| General Manager: | Miroslav Šatan |
| Coach: | Craig Ramsay |
| Asst Coach: | Peter Frühauf Ján Pardavý Andrej Podkonický |
| Captain: | Tomáš Tatar |
| Most Games: | Dominik Graňák (184) |
| Top Scorer: | Miroslav Šatan (85) |
| Most Points: | Miroslav Šatan (162) |
| Home Stadium: | Ondrej Nepela Arena |
| Iihf Code: | SVK |
| Iihf Max: | 3 |
| Iihf Max Date: | 2004 |
| Iihf Min: | 11 |
| Iihf Min Date: | 2017 |
| First Game: | 2–2 |
| Largest Win: | 20–0 |
| Largest Loss: | 8–0 |
| World Champ Apps: | 30 |
| World Champ First: | 1994 |
| World Champ Best: | Gold: (2002) |
| Olympic Apps: | 8 |
| Olympic First: | 1994 |
| Olympic Medals: | Bronze: (2022) |
| Record: | 386–307–49 |
The Slovakia men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Slovakia and is controlled by the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation. A successor to the Czechoslovakia national team, it is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world. The team's general manager is Miroslav Šatan and their head coach is Craig Ramsay.
Slovakia has won four medals at the World Championships, including a gold medal in 2002 in Sweden, and a bronze medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The Slovak national team was formed following the breakup of Czechoslovakia, as the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Although the Czechs were allowed to compete in the highest pool (A), the IIHF ruled that because fewer players of the former Czechoslovak team were Slovaks, Slovakia would be required to start international play in pool C. However, Slovakia's play in the lower pools won back-to-back promotions to pool A by 1996.[1] [2] [3] [4]
Slovakia's first appearance in an elite ice hockey competition was at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. With a lineup led by star Peter Šťastný, the Slovaks finished first in their group with three wins and two ties before losing to Russia in overtime in the quarterfinals. In the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the Slovak team was unable to use its National Hockey League (NHL) players in the preliminary round due to a scheduling conflict. This affected all of the smaller countries, but devastated the Slovaks as most of their best players were from NHL teams. The NHL only shut down its schedule in time for the second group stage, and thus Slovakia failed to qualify among the final eight teams both times. This turn of events was troubling to the entire hockey community, and the rules were changed for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.
Following the successful years for the Slovaks in the early 2000s at the World Championships, when they won the silver in St. Petersburg at the 2000 edition after a loss to the Czechs, winning the (so far) only title in Goteburg at the 2002 edition and securing bronze in Helsinki (2003), the results of Slovakia worsened and Slovakia began to drop out in the quarterfinals. The closest Slovakia came to relegation into Division I was in 2008, when they avoided relegation only thanks to two victories over Slovenia in the Relegation Round. Following was a series of three subsequent eliminations in the qualifying round (round of 12), including one at a 2011 edition Slovakia hosted in Bratislava and Košice for the first time, since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.
Largely unexpected, however, was Slovakia's silver medal at the 2012 edition, again won in Helsinki. This was the first tournament after the introduction of the new tournament format, followed by the quarterfinals. Due to the surprise this medal was after a number of unsuccessful tournaments, it was by many regarded as with a value of a triumphal gold. In the following years however, Slovakia again failed to repeat medal successes and even failed to qualify for the quarterfinals, with the exception of 2013.
In the following years, the team narrowly missed out on a quarterfinal spot for three consecutive years. In 2017, Slovakia recorded its worst tournament in history by placing 14th, narrowly escaping elimination thanks to an overtime victory against Italy. After the unsuccessful World Championships, Craig Ramsay was appointed as the head coach with the goal of improving the results and playstyle of the national team. Despite missing out on the quarterfinals again in 2018 in Denmark and a year later on home ice, the overall appearance of the team looked much better than the years prior. More recently, Slovakia reached the knockout stage on 3 out of 4 occasions.
In the Winter Olympic Games, Slovakia's highest achievement prior to 2022 was fourth place in Vancouver 2010. In the tournament they won against favourites Russia and Sweden, and lost against Canada in the semi-finals and against Finland in the bronze medal game. In 2022, the Slovaks claimed their first ever Olympic medal after defeating Sweden 4–0 in a bronze medal game.
| Games | GP | W | OW | T | OL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920–1992 | Part of | ||||||||||||
 1994 Lillehammer | 8 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 29 | Július Šupler | Peter Šťastný | 6th | ||
 1998 Nagano | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 13 | Ján Šterbák | Zdeno Cíger | 10th | ||
 2002 Salt Lake City | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 13 | Ján Filc | Miroslav Šatan | 13th | ||
 2006 Turin | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 11 | František Hossa | Pavol Demitra | 5th | ||
 2010 Vancouver | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 3 | 22 | 18 | Ján Filc | Zdeno Chára | 4th | ||
 2014 Sochi | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 3 | 5 | 16 |  Vladimír Vůjtek | Zdeno Chára | 11th | ||
 2018 Pyeongchang | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 2 | 7 | 12 | Craig Ramsay | Tomáš Surový | 11th | ||
| 7 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 3 | 19 | 16 | Craig Ramsay | Marek Hrivík | Bronze | |||
| Qualified | |||||||||||||
| Division | Championship | GP | W | OW | T | OL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish | Rank | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | 6 | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 43 | 3 | bgcolor=gold | Winner, Promoted | bgcolor=gold | 1st | ||||
| B | 7 | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 60 | 15 | bgcolor=gold | Winner, Promoted | bgcolor=gold | 1st |
| Championship | GP | W | OTW | T | OTL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As part of | |||||||||||||
| 5 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 3 | 13 | 16 | Group Round | 10th | ||||
| 8 | 3 | – | 1 | – | 4 | 20 | 23 | Consolation Round | 9th | ||||
| 6 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 11 | 12 | Second round | 7th | ||||
| 6 | 2 | – | 1 | – | 3 | 22 | 21 | Second round | 7th | ||||
| 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 22 | Final | Silver | ||||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 18 | Quarter-finals | 7th | ||||
| 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 22 | Champions | Gold | ||||
| 9 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 17 | 3rd Place Game | Bronze | ||||
| 9 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 9 | 3rd Place Game | 4th | ||||
| 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 17 | Quarter-finals | 5th | ||||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 14 | Quarter-finals | 8th | ||||
| 7 | 4 | 0 | – | 0 | 3 | 24 | 23 | Miroslav Šatan | Quarter-finals | 6th | |||
| 5 | 2 | 1 | – | 0 | 2 | 18 | 12 | Relegation Round | 13th | ||||
| 6 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | 2 | 12 | 24 | Second round | 10th | ||||
| 6 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 4 | 13 | 19 | Second round | 12th | ||||
| 6 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 4 | 16 | 15 | Second round | 10th | ||||
| 10 | 7 | 0 | – | 0 | 3 | 30 | 23 | Final | Silver | ||||
| 8 | 3 | 0 | – | 1 | 4 | 22 | 20 | Quarter-finals | 8th | ||||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | – | 1 | 3 | 20 | 21 | Group stage | 9th | ||||
| 7 | 1 | 2 | – | 2 | 2 | 17 | 19 | Group stage | 9th | ||||
| 7 | 2 | 1 | – | 0 | 4 | 15 | 23 | Group stage | 9th | ||||
| 7 | 0 | 1 | – | 2 | 4 | 12 | 28 | Zdeno Cíger | Group stage | 14th | |||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | – | 2 | 2 | 19 | 20 | Group stage | 9th | ||||
| 7 | 3 | 1 | – | 0 | 3 | 28 | 19 | Group stage | 9th | ||||
| Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic[5] | |||||||||||||
| 8 | 4 | 0 | – | 0 | 4 | 18 | 28 | Quarter-finals | 8th | ||||
| 8 | 4 | 0 | – | 0 | 4 | 25 | 23 | Craig Ramsay | Quarter-finals | 8th | |||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | – | 2 | 2 | 15 | 15 | Group stage | 9th | ||||
| 8 | 3 | 1 | – | 1 | 3 | 29 | 29 | Quarter-finals | 7th | ||||
| – | |||||||||||||
| Year | GP | W | OW | T | OL | L | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Finish | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | 9 | 19 | Jozef Golonka | Round 1 | 7th | ||
| 2004 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 | Ján Filc | Quarter-finals | 8th |
At the 2016 edition, Slovakia was not represented. Instead 6 Slovak players were a part of Team Europe, which was led by Slovak general manager Miroslav Šatan.
Roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship.[6] [7]
Head coach: Craig Ramsay
| No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | F | 1.87m (06.14feet) | 88abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 10 June 1992 | Kometa Brno | ||
| 7 | D | 1.86m (06.1feet) | 89abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 11 April 1997 | HC Vítkovice | ||
| 13 | D | 1.8m (05.9feet) | 85abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 7 June 2001 |  HK Nitra | ||
| 14 | D | Peter Čerešňák – A | 1.91m (06.27feet) | 95abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 26 January 1993 | Dynamo Pardubice | |
| 17 | D | 1.85m (06.07feet) | 92abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 15 February 2004 | New Jersey Devils | ||
| 18 | F | 1.89m (06.2feet) | 95abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 11 May 1991 | HC Litvínov | ||
| 20 | F | 1.92m (06.3feet) | 103abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 30 March 2004 | Montreal Canadiens | ||
| 21 | F | 1.88m (06.17feet) | 96abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 6 July 1999 | Tucson Roadrunners | ||
| 27 | F | Marek Hrivík – A | 1.85m (06.07feet) | 89abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 28 August 1991 |  Leksands IF | |
| 29 | D | 1.85m (06.07feet) | 90abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 18 November 1999 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | ||
| 30 | G | 1.91m (06.27feet) | 83abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 24 May 1997 | HC Litvínov | ||
| 31 | G | 1.93m (06.33feet) | 99abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 29 May 2001 | Škoda Plzeň | ||
| 33 | G | 1.87m (06.14feet) | 87abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 31 January 1996 | Dukla Michalovce | ||
| 34 | F | 1.88m (06.17feet) | 94abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 2 August 1995 | Leksands IF | ||
| 42 | D | 1.87m (06.14feet) | 92abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 6 October 1999 | Washington Capitals | ||
| 48 | F | 1.83m (06feet) | 82abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 14 October 1998 | Oceláři Třinec | ||
| 56 | F | 1.82m (05.97feet) | 96abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 30 November 1994 | Oceláři Třinec | ||
| 64 | D | 1.86m (06.1feet) | 86abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 8 December 1996 | Arizona Coyotes | ||
| 76 | F | 1.88m (06.17feet) | 82abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 19 November 1999 | Calgary Flames | ||
| 77 | F | 1.85m (06.07feet) | 82abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 10 August 2000 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | ||
| 79 | F | 1.77m (05.81feet) | 80abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 7 September 1990 | Oceláři Třinec | ||
| 87 | F | 1.92m (06.3feet) | 99abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 7 December 1999 | San Diego Gulls | ||
| 90 | F | Tomáš Tatar – C | 1.78m (05.84feet) | 82abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 1 December 1990 | Seattle Kraken | |
| 91 | F | 1.76m (05.77feet) | 77abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 23 January 1996 | HC Litvínov | ||
| 98 | D | 1.92m (06.3feet) | 82abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 7 March 2001 | Slovan Bratislava |
See main article: 2002 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.
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See main article: 2012 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.
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See main article: Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament.
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Source: http://www.hockeyslovakia.sk/sk/clanok/reprezentacni-rekorderi-podla-poctu-startov-v-drese-slovenska http://www.hockeyslovakia.sk/sk/clanok/reprezentacni-rekorderi-podla-poctu-strelenych-golov-v-drese-slovenskaPlayers in bold are still active.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; GPG = Goal per game;
| Player | GP | G | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Dominik Graňák | 194 | 10 | |
| 2. | 183 | 86 | ||
| 3. | 162 | 13 | ||
| 4. | 152 | 29 | ||
| 5. | 144 | 23 | ||
| 6. | Tomáš Starosta | 144 | 6 | |
| 7. | 141 | 18 | ||
| 8. | 136 | 16 | ||
| 9. | 128 | 9 | ||
| 10. | 124 | 21 |
| Player | GP | G | GPG | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 183 | 86 | .48 | ||
| 2. | 109 | 59 | .54 | ||
| 3. | 117 | 45 | .38 | ||
| 4. | 120 | 45 | .38 | ||
| 5. | 119 | 44 | .37 | ||
| 6. | 88 | 39 | .44 | ||
| 7. | 74 | 37 | .50 | ||
| 8. | 117 | 37 | .32 | ||
| 9. | 122 | 37 | .30 | ||
| 10. | 47 | 35 | .74 |
This table shows all Slovakia national team head coaches and their record at the IIHF World Championships, World Cup of Hockey and Winter Olympic Games (including qualifying tournaments). Data correct as of match played on 26 May 2022.
Source:[8]
| Name | Years | ! style="width:40px;" | ! | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1996 | 29 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 160 | 92 | 55.2 | 1.31 | ||
| 1996–1997 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 23 | 37.5 | 0.88 | ||
| 1997–1999 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 44 | 46 | 31.3 | 0.88 | ||
| 1999–2002 | 29 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 106 | 75 | 58.6 | 1.24 | ||
| 2002–2006 | 38 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 133 | 68 | 63.2 | 1.39 | ||
| Ján Filc[9] | 2004 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 | .000 | 0.00 | |
| 2006–2008 | 12 | 5 | 1 | – | 0 | 6 | 42 | 35 | 50.0 | 1.42 | ||
| 2008–2010 | 13 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | 5 | 34 | 42 | 46.2 | 1.38 | ||
| 2010–2011 | 12 | 4 | 0 | – | 0 | 8 | 29 | 34 | 33.3 | 1.00 | ||
| 2011–2015 | 36 | 14 | 2 | – | 5 | 15 | 94 | 99 | 44.4 | 1.42 | ||
| 2015–2017 | 14 | 2 | 2 | – | 2 | 8 | 27 | 51 | 28.6 | 0.86 | ||
| 2017– | 44 | 21 | 2 | – | 3 | 18 | 125 | 121 | 52.3 | 1.59 |
Paul Loicq Award recipient Juraj Okoličány managed the team from 1993 to 1998.[10] [11] [12] [13]
The following table shows Slovakia's international record against other national teams from 1940 to 1945 and since 1993, correct as of 10 November 2024 after a match against Denmark. Teams in italics are no longer actively competing. Overtime and game winning shot victories and losses are counted towards wins and losses.
Source:[14]
| Opponent | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 34 | 2 | 8 | 170 | 77 | +93 | ||
| 37 | 24 | 1 | 12 | 107 | 72 | +35 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | +20 | ||
| 52 | 20 | 4 | 28 | 148 | 164 | −17 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | ||
| 75 | 16 | 7 | 52 | 150 | 261 | −111 | ||
| 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 93 | 50 | +43 | ||
| 38 | 7 | 3 | 28 | 62 | 123 | −61 | ||
| 35 | 27 | 3 | 5 | 153 | 64 | +89 | ||
| 83 | 47 | 2 | 34 | 221 | 202 | +19 | ||
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 7 | +22 | ||
| 9 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 57 | 22 | +35 | ||
| 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 77 | 42 | +35 | ||
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 12 | +27 | ||
| 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 58 | 25 | +33 | ||
| 36 | 23 | 2 | 11 | 119 | 74 | +45 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 | +20 | ||
| 36 | 27 | 2 | 7 | 140 | 65 | +75 | ||
| 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 12 | +39 | ||
| Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | −12 | |
| 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 7 | +46 | ||
| 34 | 9 | 5 | 20 | 72 | 108 | −36 | ||
| 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 18 | +25 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | ||
| 42 | 11 | 3 | 28 | 91 | 140 | −49 | ||
| 79 | 34 | 7 | 38 | 197 | 182 | +15 | ||
| 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 18 | +31 | ||
| 32 | 11 | 3 | 18 | 75 | 112 | −37 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | ||
| Total | 742 | 386 | 49 | 307 | 2 307 | 1 876 | +431 |