Czech Republic Looks To Forward Core For Spark At 2014 Ice Hockey World Championship
Everyone (allegedly) loves that mythical mix of youth and experience-just ask the dudes behind Just For Men’s “Touch Of Gray” commercials (come on, HE TOTALLY GOT IT IN). In the spirit of bad acting cheap hair products for men in the midst of a mid-life crisis, the Czech entry into this year’s edition of the IIHF World Hockey Championships will seek to channel both veteran experience and youthful exuberance in a bid to capture its first gold since 2010.
Per the IIHF’s official team rosters, here are the players under Head Coach Vladimir Ruzicka’s tutelage:
| No | Name | Shoots Catches |
Height cmft dm |
Weight kglbs |
Date of Birth | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers |
||||||
| 1 | KOVAR Jakub | L | 184/6’0” | 91/201 | 19 Jul 1988 | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg |
| 53 | SALAK Alexander | L | 190/6’3” | 88/194 | 5 Jan 1987 | SKA St. Petersburg |
| Defensemen | ||||||
| 2 | KINDL Jakub | L | 192/6’4” | 95/209 | 10 Feb 1987 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 3 | ZAMORSKY Petr | R | 180/5’11” | 86/190 | 3 Aug 1992 | HC Zlin |
| 23 | NEMEC Ondrej | R | 182/6’0” | 92/203 | 18 Apr 1984 | Lev Prague |
| 27 | KOLAR Jan | L | 190/6’3” | 92/203 | 22 Nov 1986 | Donbass Donetsk |
| 46 | POLAK Roman | R | 188/6’2” | 103/227 | 28 Apr 1986 | St. Louis Blues |
| 55 | SEVC Martin | L | 183/6’0” | 89/196 | 23 Sep 1981 | Lev Prague |
| 74 | VITASEK Ondrej | R | 193/6’4” | 97/214 | 4 Sep 1990 | Bili Tygri Liberec |
| Forwards | ||||||
| 10 | CERVENKA Roman | L | 182/6’0” | 89/196 | 10 Dec 1985 | SKA St. Petersburg |
| 12 | NOVOTNY Jiri | R | 189/6’2” | 97/214 | 12 Aug 1983 | Lev Prague |
| 17 | SOBOTKA Vladimir | L | 178/5’10” | 83/183 | 2 Jul 1987 | St. Louis Blues |
| 20 | KLEPIS Jakub | L | 186/6’1” | 91/201 | 5 Jun 1984 | Lev Prague |
| 24 | HUDLER Jiri | R | 175/5’9” | 84/185 | 4 Jan 1984 | Calgary Flames |
| 26 | ZATOVIC Martin | L | 179/5’10” | 90/198 | 25 Jan 1985 | HC Karlovy Vary |
| 43 | KOVAR Jan | R | 180/5’11” | 94/207 | 20 Mar 1990 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk |
| 99 | HERTL Tomas | L | 188/6’2” | 89/196 | 12 Nov 1993 | San Jose Sharks |
| 60 | ROLINEK Tomas | L | 177/5’10” | 84/185 | 17 Feb 1980 | Sparta Prague |
| 64 | SEKAC Jiri | L | 187/6’2” | 88/194 | 10 Jun 1992 | Lev Prague |
| 68 | JAGR Jaromir | L | 189/6’2” | 102/225 | 15 Feb 1972 | New Jersey Devils |
| 88 | PETRUZALEK Jakub | R | 176/5’9” | 80/176 | 24 Apr 1985 | Ak Bars Kazan |
Constructed by General Manager Slavomir Lener, the primary threat of this year’s squad appears to be its offensive firepower; spearheaded by ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr and career-ending wunderkind Tomas Hertl, the forward core consists of primarily KHL talent, with NHLers Vladimir Sobotka and Jiri Hudler sprinkled in for good measure. Stay-at-home rearguard Roman Polak headlines an otherwise underwhelming defensive corps, with Detroit Red Wing Jakub Kindl providing the only other burst of name recognition. Though populated by two KHL netminders, the Czech goaltending tandem of Jakub Kovar and Alexander Salak has the potential to stabilize things from the back-end; per HockeyDB, Kovar-a former Philadelphia Flyers fourth-round pick-clocked an astounding .931 Save Percentage through 48 games played, complemening a 2.01 Goals Against Average that speaks volumes when viewed in the context of the offensive-minded KHL. Salak, a former Florida Panthers prospect, turned in an equally respectable .929 Save Percentage, coupling with a 1.96 Goals Against Average. Although the stakes are raised on the international stage, look to this tandem to emerge as a potential breakout candidate, given the defense bails them out when needed.
Situated in Group A, the Czechs begin their road to glory tomorrow, squaring off against Slovakia in the group’s opening nightcap. Other preliminary games for the Czech Republic include:
May 11th vs. Sweden (20:45)
May 12th vs. Canada (20:45)
May 14th vs. Italy (16:45)
May 17th vs. Denmark (16:45)
May 18th vs. Norway (20:45)
May 20th vs. France (20:45)
ONDREJ PAVELEC DIDN’T MAKE THE SQUAD LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Alex Lopez
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