European Vets, Canadian Juniors On Slovenia's World Championship Roster
A regular 'elevator team' at the IIHF World Championships, Slovenia finished second in Division I Group A last year in Bolzano, Italy and earned a promotion to the elite division. To this year's tournament in Stockholm, the Slovenes are bringing much of the same veteran lineup, led by captain Robert Sabolič and defenseman Blaž Gregorc.
The roster is composed of 10 players from HK Olimpija, based in Ljubljana, the lone Slovenian team in the multi-state International Central European Hockey League (ICEHL). The roster otherwise includes players based in Austria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany and Hungary and one, forward Jan Drozg, in the KHL.
The team also includes four players based in North America who are all 20 years old or younger – two lower-division collegiate players and two CHL defensemen. Urban Podrekar, 20 plays for the OHL's Flint Firebirds and 18-year-old Jan Goličič plays for the QMJHL's Gatineau Olympiques and was a fourth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning last summer.
Goaltenders: Lukáš Horák (HK Olimpija) Žan Us (Jesenice), Matija Pintarič (Grenoble, FRA).
Defensemen: Jan Ćosić (HK Olimpija), Jan Goličič (Gatineau Olympiques, QMJHL / Tampa Bay Lightning), Blaž Gregorc (HK Olimpija), Aleksandar Magovac (Amiens, FRA), Bine Mašič (HK Olimpija), Matic Podlipnik (Kitzbühler, AlpsHL), Urban Podrekar (Flint Firebirds, OHL), Miha Štebih (Horácká Slavia Třebíč, CZE).
Forwards: Miha Beričič (HK Olimpija), Jan Drozg (Kunlun Red Star, KHL), Žan Jezovšek (Lindau, GER), Rok Kapel (HK Olimpija), Nace Langus (Augustana University, NCAA), Rok Macuh (Olomouc, CZE), Marcel Mahkovec (HK Olimpija), Ken Ograjenšek (Linz, ICEHL), Robert Sabolič (HK Olimpija), Nik Simšič (HK Olimpija), Filip Sitar (University of Connecticut, NCAA), Jaka Sodja (HK Olimpija), Matic Török (KooKoo, FIN), Anže Žeželj (Fehérvár, HUN).
Canada Ready To Start Worlds With All-NHL Lineup Canada is set to begin the IIHF World Championship on Saturday against Slovenia with an all-NHL lineup.
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