Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal Canadiens (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Slovakia Announces 2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey Roster

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Alessandro Seren Rosso | Last updated Jan 8, 2026 12:20 PM ET

Slovakia has just announced its 25-man roster for the upcoming Olympic Games in Italy. With the NHL returning to the Olympics, the Slovaks will bring to the ice several players from North America as they have a bronze medal to defend. Back in 2022, star forward Juraj Slafkovsky won Tournament MVP honors and had seven goals in seven games, tying the U18 record set by Eddie Olczyk in 1984.

Team Slovakia’s Forwards

Peter Cehlarik (Leksands IF, Swe), Dalibor Dvorsky (St. Louis Blues, NHL), Marek Hrivik (HC Viktovice, Cze), Libor Hudacek (HC Ocelari Trinec, Cze), Milos Kelemen (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Cze), Adam Liska (Severstal Cherepovets, KHL), Oliver Okuliar (Skelleftea IK, Swe), Martin Pospisil (Calgary Flames, NHL), Pavol Regenda (San Jose Sharks, NHL), Adam Ruzicka (Spartak Moscow, KHL), Juraj Slafkovsky (Montreal Canadiens, NHL), Matus Sukel (HC Litvinov, Cze), Samuel Takac (HC Slovan Bratislava, Svk), Tomas Tatar (EV Zug, Sui).

The Slovakians will bring to Milan only four NHL forwards, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the roster is bad. Chemistry will be key for the Slovaks, with several options playing in Czechia and Slovakia, along with a couple of names in the KHL in Adam Liska and Adam Ruzicka. Both are having strong seasons in Russia. Plus, they’ll get plenty of experience in Tomas Tatar.

Moreover, other than Slafkovsky, several players already lined up for Slovakia either at the 2018 and 2022 Olympics, or both, like Sharks’ forward Pavol Regenda, who recently netted his first NHL hat trick, with chemistry being a key aspect in such a short tournament.

Team Slovakia’s Defensemen

Peter Ceresnak (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Cze), Erik Cernak (Tampa Bay Lightning, NHL), Martin Fehervary (Washington Capitals, NHL), Martin Gernat (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, KHL), Michal Ivan (Bili Tygri Liberec, Cze), Martin Marincin (HC Ocelari Trinec, Cze), Simon Nemec (New Jersey Devils, NHL).

Martin Fehervary, Washington Capitals (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The Slovak defense will have a greater concentration of NHL players compared with the forwards, yet will be more keen in getting things done with chemistry and team work, rather than class and big names. With Simon Nemec expected to take a key role on the blue line, expect players like Ceresnak or Gernat taking on big minutes as well.

Team Slovakia’s Goalies

Adam Gajan (Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, NCAA), Samuel Hlavaj (Iowa Wild, AHL), Stanislav Skorvanek (Mountfield HK, Cze).

Four years ago, Patrik Rybar was the best in Beijing. Considering the lack of strong alternatives in the Slovak crease, many expected him to start again between the pipes. However, despite a strong start with the Shanghai Dragons in the KHL, he lost form and as a consequence was left out of the team.

Slovakia announced their men's roster for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games!

Athlete participation requires confirmation by their respective NOC.@hockeyslovakia @olympics @nhl @nhlpa #Olympics #NHL #IIHF pic.twitter.com/cfgwgkOKBH
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) January 8, 2026

Goaltending looks like the weak spot for the Slovaks, who will be lacking a strong number one candidate, experience, and someone who can actually steal games for them. However, in a short tournament, a hot goalie can win a medal even for a non-contending team.

One Month to the Olympics

The men’s tournament will kick off in about a month, with Team Slovakia playing its first game on Feb. 11 against Team Finland. The gold medal game is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 22.