Slovenia men's national ice hockey team

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Slovenia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Risi (The Lynx)
AssociationIce Hockey Federation of Slovenia
Head coachMatjaž Kopitar
AssistantsGorazd Rekelj, Klemen Mohorič
CaptainAnže Kopitar
Most gamesTomaž Razingar (212)
Top scorerJan Urbas (89)
Most pointsTomaž Vnuk (171)
Team colors     
IIHF codeSLO
Slovenia national hockey team jerseys 2015.png
Ranking
Current IIHF20 Steady (6 June 2021)[1]
Highest IIHF12 (2014)
Lowest IIHF20 (2020)
First international
Austria  1–0  Slovenia
(Klagenfurt, Austria; 20 March 1992)
Biggest win
Slovenia  29–0  South Africa
(Ljubljana, Slovenia; 15 March 1993)
Biggest defeat
Finland  12–0  Slovenia
(Tampere, Finland; 28 April 2003)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances27 (first in 2002)
Best result13th (2002 and 2005)
Olympics
Appearances2 (first in 2014)

The Slovenian men's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Slovenia internationally. It is governed by the Ice Hockey Federation of Slovenia. The team is currently ranked 20th in the world by the International Ice Hockey Federation as of the 2020 IIHF World Ranking. The team's biggest success is reaching the quarter-finals at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Their best record at the Ice Hockey World Championships is 13th place, while their highest IIHF ranking is 12th place.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Six players from Slovenia have been drafted into the NHL since 1998; Anže Kopitar and Jan Muršak have played in the league.[9]

History[]

Slovenian players at the 2008 World Championship.

As a member of Yugoslavia, Slovenia had been a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 1939 and participated in several World Championships and five Winter Olympics. Many of the players on the Yugoslav national team came from Slovenia: from 1939, when Yugoslavia first played a World Championship, to 1991 when it was broken up, 91% of all players on the national team were Slovene, and the entire roster for the team at the 1984 Winter Olympics, held in the Yugoslav city of Sarajevo were from Slovenia.[10]

Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, and joined the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 1992 along with Croatia and several former Soviet republics. They first played as an independent nation at the 1993 World Championship, hosting the Group C tournament, the lowest tier.[11] They reached the elite division for the first time in 2002 IIHF World Championship. They played at their first Winter Olympics at the 2014 Sochi Games.[12]

Tournament record[]

Olympic Games[]

Year Round Position GP W OW OL L GS GA
1964–1984 Part of Yugoslavia
France 1992 Did not enter
Norway 1994
Japan 1998 Did not qualify
United States 2002
Italy 2006
Canada 2010
Russia 2014 Quarter-finals 7th 5 2 0 0 3 10 16
South Korea 2018 Playoffs 9th 4 0 2 1 1 9 14
China 2022 Did not qualify
Total 2/7 0 Titles 9 2 2 1 4 19 30

World Championship[]

Slovenia's all-time top scorer Jan Urbas.
Championship GP W OW T OL L GF GA Coach Captain Finish Rank
1920 – 1992 Part of Yugoslavia
Croatia Slovenia 1993 Zagreb and Ljubljana, Pool C 2 2 0 0 0 0 22 3 Slovenia Rudi Hiti 5th in Pool C 25th
Slovakia 1994 Poprad and Spišská Nová Ves, Pool C 6 2 0 0 0 4 26 27 Slovenia Rudi Hiti 5th in Pool C 25th
Bulgaria 1995 Sofia, Pool C 4 2 0 0 0 2 28 15 Slovenia Rudi Hiti 7th in Pool C 27th
Slovenia 1996 Jesenice and Kranj, Pool C 7 5 0 2 0 1 41 19 Russia Vladimir Krikunov 3rd in Pool C 22nd
Estonia 1997 Tallinn and Kohtla-Järve, Pool C 6 3 0 2 0 1 27 11 Slovenia 2nd in Pool C 22nd
Slovenia 1998 Ljubljana and Jesenice, Pool B 7 5 0 1 0 1 28 15 Slovenia 2nd in Pool B 18th
Denmark 1999 Odense and Rodovre, Pool B 7 2 0 1 0 4 14 17 Slovenia 5th in Pool B 21st
Poland 2000 Katowice and Krakow, Pool B 7 0 0 2 0 5 16 31 Slovenia Rudi Hiti 7th in Pool B 23rd
Slovenia 2001 Ljubljana, Division IB 5 4 0 1 0 0 44 6 Slovenia Matjaž Sekelj Winner, Promoted 17th
Sweden 2002 Gothenburg, Karlstad, Jönköping 6 3 0 0 0 3 18 26 Slovenia Matjaž Sekelj Consolation Round 13th
Finland 2003 Helsinki, Tampere, Turku 6 0 0 1 0 5 12 37 Slovenia Matjaž Sekelj Consolation Round 15th
Poland 2004 Gdańsk, Division IB 5 5 0 0 0 0 33 5 Finland Winner, Promoted 17th
Austria 2005 Vienna, Innsbruck 6 2 0 0 0 4 12 32 Finland Relegation round 13th
Latvia 2006 Riga 6 0 0 2 0 4 14 26 Czech Republic Relegation round 16th
Slovenia 2007 Ljubljana, Division IB 5 5 0 – 0 0 29 5 United States Ted Sator Marcel Rodman Winner, Promoted 17th
Canada 2008 Quebec City, Halifax 5 0 0 – 0 5 6 22 Sweden Mats Waltin Relegation Round 15th
Lithuania 2009 Vilnius, Division IA 5 4 0 – 0 1 21 7 United States John Harrington Promoted, 2nd 19th
Slovenia 2010 Ljubljana, Division IB 5 4 1 – 0 0 29 10 United States John Harrington Tomaž Razingar Winner, Promoted 18th
Slovakia 2011 Bratislava, Košice 6 1 0 – 1 4 15 24 Slovenia Matjaž Kopitar Tomaž Razingar Relegation round 16th
Slovenia 2012 Ljubljana, Division IA 5 5 0 – 0 0 17 9 Slovenia Matjaž Kopitar Tomaž Razingar Winner, Promoted 17th
Sweden Finland 2013 Stockholm, Helsinki 7 0 0 – 2 5 12 27 Slovenia Matjaž Kopitar Tomaž Razingar Group stage 16th
South Korea 2014 Goyang, Division IA 5 4 0 – 0 1 15 6 Slovenia Matjaž Kopitar Tomaž Razingar Winner, Promoted 17th
Czech Republic 2015 Prague, Ostrava 7 1 0 – 0 6 9 22 Slovenia Matjaž Kopitar Tomaž Razingar Group stage 16th
Poland 2016 Katowice, Division IA 5 4 0 – 0 1 18 8 Slovenia Nik Zupančič Jan Urbas Winner, Promoted 17th
Germany France 2017 Cologne, Paris 7 0 0 – 1 6 13 36 Slovenia Nik Zupančič Jan Muršak Group stage 15th
Hungary 2018 Budapest, Division IA 5 2 0 – 0 3 15 15 Finland Jan Urbas 5th in Division IA 21st
Kazakhstan 2019 Nur-Sultan, Division IA 5 2 0 – 0 3 21 12 Slovenia Ivo Jan Anže Kopitar 4th in Division IA 20th
Slovenia 2020 Ljubljana, Division IA Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[13]
Slovenia 2021 Ljubljana, Division IA Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[14]

Team[]

Current roster[]

Roster for the 2021 Beat Covid-19 International Ice Hockey Tournament in Ljubljana.[15]

Head coach: Slovenia Matjaž Kopitar

No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Current Team
69 G Matija Pintarič 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 84 kg (185 lb) (1989-08-11) 11 August 1989 (age 32) France Rouen Hockey Élite 76
32 G Gašper Krošelj 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 87 kg (192 lb) (1987-02-09) 9 February 1987 (age 34) Czech Republic BK Mladá Boleslav
35 G Luka Gračnar 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 85 kg (187 lb) (1993-10-31) 31 October 1993 (age 28) Austria Steinbach Black Wings 1992
1 G 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 83 kg (183 lb) (1996-06-10) 10 June 1996 (age 25) Slovenia HDD Jesenice
7 D Klemen Pretnar – C 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 82 kg (181 lb) (1986-08-31) 31 August 1986 (age 35) Poland TH Unia Oświęcim
17 D Žiga Pavlin – A 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 97 kg (214 lb) (1985-04-30) 30 April 1985 (age 36) Slovakia HC Košice
61 D Jurij Repe 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) 90 kg (200 lb) (1994-09-17) 17 September 1994 (age 27) Czech Republic HC Frýdek-Místek
14 D Matic Podlipnik 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 87 kg (192 lb) (1992-08-09) 9 August 1992 (age 29) Romania Progym Gheorgheni
76 D 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 100 kg (220 lb) (1995-11-12) 12 November 1995 (age 26) Slovenia HK Olimpija Ljubljana
4 D Aleksandar Magovac 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 92 kg (203 lb) (1991-02-09) 9 February 1991 (age 30) Slovenia HK Olimpija Ljubljana
6 D Miha Štebih 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 91 kg (201 lb) (1992-04-07) 7 April 1992 (age 29) Slovenia HK Olimpija Ljubljana
95 D 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 90 kg (200 lb) (1999-04-16) 16 April 1999 (age 22) Slovenia HDD Jesenice
97 D 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 91 kg (201 lb) (1999-08-30) 30 August 1999 (age 22) Slovenia HDD Jesenice
44 D 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) 68 kg (150 lb) (2002-11-14) 14 November 2002 (age 19) Slovenia HDD Jesenice
92 F Anže Kuralt 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) 80 kg (180 lb) (1991-10-31) 31 October 1991 (age 30) Hungary Fehérvár AV19
18 F Ken Ograjenšek – A 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) 82 kg (181 lb) (1991-08-30) 30 August 1991 (age 30) Austria Graz99ers
45 F 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 88 kg (194 lb) (1997-10-25) 25 October 1997 (age 24) United States American International College
94 F 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) 72 kg (159 lb) (2000-07-24) 24 July 2000 (age 21) Austria Red Bull Hockey Juniors
96 F 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) 83 kg (183 lb) (1999-05-04) 4 May 1999 (age 22) Austria EC KAC II
19 F Žiga Pešut – A 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 87 kg (192 lb) (1992-10-05) 5 October 1992 (age 29) Slovenia HK Olimpija Ljubljana
12 F 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 90 kg (200 lb) (1997-03-12) 12 March 1997 (age 24) Slovenia HK Olimpija Ljubljana
81 F 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 80 kg (180 lb) (1992-04-21) 21 April 1992 (age 29) Slovenia HK Olimpija Ljubljana
20 F 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) 84 kg (185 lb) (1993-01-15) 15 January 1993 (age 29) Slovenia HK Olimpija Ljubljana
93 F 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) 75 kg (165 lb) (1993-05-03) 3 May 1993 (age 28) Slovenia HK Olimpija Ljubljana
91 F 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 92 kg (203 lb) (1997-04-22) 22 April 1997 (age 24) Slovenia HDD Jesenice
98 F 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 80 kg (180 lb) (1997-10-14) 14 October 1997 (age 24) Slovenia HDD Jesenice
8 F 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 95 kg (209 lb) (1999-04-21) 21 April 1999 (age 22) Slovenia HDD Jesenice
71 F 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) 82 kg (181 lb) (1997-12-17) 17 December 1997 (age 24) Slovenia HDD Jesenice

Coaching history[]

Slovenia (in white), shakes hands with Russia at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

NHL Entry Draft[]

Two-time NHL champion Anže Kopitar at the 2008 World Championship.

Players from Slovenia selected in the NHL Entry Draft

Year Name Overall Team
1998 Edo Terglav 249th overall Buffalo Sabres
2000 203rd overall Nashville Predators
2001 Marcel Rodman 282nd overall Boston Bruins
2005 Anže Kopitar 11th overall Los Angeles Kings
2006 Jan Muršak 182nd overall Detroit Red Wings
2017 152nd overall Pittsburgh Penguins

References[]

  1. ^ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  2. ^ Greg Wyshynski (18 February 2014). "Slovenia's miracle on ice continues; Swedes up next for 'Slovenderella'". Yahoo!. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  3. ^ "Slovenia hockey becoming feel-good story of 2014 Winter Olympic ice hockey with quarter-final berth | The National". The National. Abu Dhabi. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Slovenia's ice hockey team secure Olympic berth". Sloveniatimes.com. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Devoted Coach and Gifted Son Lead Slovenia to Hockey Heights". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Ice hockey: Slovenia extend magical run into quarters | SBS News". Sbs.com.au. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  7. ^ "STA: Slovenia's ice hockey team secure Olympic berth". English.sta.si. 4 September 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  8. ^ "News". Slovenia.si. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  9. ^ Mitja Lisjak (24 June 2017). "Po 11 letih na naboru Lige NHL spet izbran Slovenec" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  10. ^ Manninen, Henrik (4 February 2014). "A Slovenian send-off". IIHF.com. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  11. ^ IIHF (2008). "Breakup of old Europe creates a new hockey world". IIHF.com. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  12. ^ "Sochi: Slovenian Hockey Team Making History". Slovenia Times. SloveniaTimes.com. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  13. ^ "IIHF cancels Division I tournaments". iihf.com. 17 March 2019.
  14. ^ "IIHF – IIHF Council announces more cancellations". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Selektor Kopitar izbral reprezentante". 24ur.com. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.

External links[]

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