The head of Slovak hockey Miroslav Šatan described the World Championship in Stockholm as an investment in the future. According to the general manager of the national team, the experience was missing for a better result and the national team had no choice but to bet on younger players. He gave the attacker Dalibor Dvorský as an example, who, according to Satan, professionally accepted the skip from the line -up and showed that he will be a leader of the national team in the future.
The Slovaks took the final 11th place in the tournament. They were most precipitated by the efficiency in the end, which had the worst of all 16 teams. Nine goals scored at least from the A-team at the championship this century.
“We knew that this year we missed the key players who were supporting the national team in the past. We knew that we did not have the strongest composition, because there were absences for various reasons, which of course we understand. We used the vacancies that were created to give eight players the opportunity to premiere at the World Championship. To try how difficult it is at an international level against a strong opponent, against the teams that are packed with NHL players. For them it was a huge experience in career and I think it was an investment for the future, ” He said Satan after the final meeting of Slovakia against Finland (1: 2).
The Slovaks did not manage to do important matches with Austria and Latvia in the tournament. There were no points even a favorite, the closest were in the duel against the Finns. “Players, coaches, and also me, we all hoped to handle the two key matches and reach the quarterfinals. We just missed the points, we made the mistakes, they didn’t make their rivals. Maybe it was from pressure, maybe from inexperience, but everyone has to win somehow at that level. Before there are any winnings, there are always losses to learn the players. I think they had access, fought, and I thanked them in the cabin, ” noted Satan and continued to evaluate the championship: “We missed kilograms, centimeters and we lacked experience and goals. This is already a tax for taking the young team. There was no other option here.”
He emphasized the approach of Dvorský, who watched the duel with Latvia only as a healthy substitute in the stand. “I would give him an example. He took it as a professional, yet he is only 19 years old. He said the right things, not complained about communication and morning He was at breakfast and didn’t go anywhere. These are the qualities we want to have in the national team and we want to build on such players in the future. Also Samuel Honzek He did not play against Finland and took it completely cool. They are professionals and I believe that the future leaders of our representation, ” said Satan.
At the same time, he also faced the question of whether he had greater expectations of players who had several championships on their account and were supposed to be one of the drivers especially in terms of experience: “Of course, we expected the team to pull the team. Certainly the coaches will evaluate it, not with everyone will be satisfied and it will probably affect the next event for which we had the apologies. The Olympics not only affects these World Championships by the lack of participation of some players, but will also affect the others in a year. Everyone is going to and the NHL players I talked to want to go to the Olympics. The performances in this championship will also affect the nomination for the Olympic tournament. ”
So far, the composition of the implementation team remains questionable. The team led in the position of head coach for the first time Vladimír Országh. A forty -seven -year -old helmsman came to the running train when he replaced Craig Ramsay in the final block of the preparation of Craig Ramsay in early April. Canadian expert thwarted the seventh participation in the World Championship in a row of pneumonia. “We want to give it some time. Craig is still under a valid contract and in treatment. I think we will deal with these questions in a few weeks, now it’s premature. Certainly we would like to solve it during the summer. ”
Invitation to Slafkovsky
Before the season, the best Slovak hockey player Juraj Slafkovský criticized the functioning of the union. Twenty -one -year -old striker did not strengthen Slovakia at the World Championship in Sweden and Denmark in agreement with his employer Montreal Canadiens.
Before the start of the new contract, he preferred to rest and prepare for the next NHL. Both the SZĽH and the player himself informed that both sides communicated and Slafkovsky’s absence is not related to this criticism. The question was whether the Union would initiate meetings with NHL players headed by Slafkovsky.
“Yes. Juraj is invited to the Union whenever he can come. We talked about it on the phone. As in the past, hockey summers were, we will call players whether they are interested in such something. The Union is ready for it. If they want to meet, play golf or anything else, we will be happy to put them together. The Olympic season is certainly important to us. After a long time there will also be NHL players. We will have to announce some first names in a short time. The whole NHL marketing around the Olympics begins in the summer, ”Satan concluded in front of journalists.
