Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Slovakia’s Martin Pospisil out for IIHF Men’s World Championship due to injury

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Tyler Kuehl | Last updated 5/22/24

A huge blow for a team gearing for the knockout stage.

On Wednesday, it was reported that Slovakia forward Martin Pospisil will miss the remainder of the IIHF Men’s World Championship due to injury.

While it is not confirmed, Pospisil looked to have suffered a gruesome upper-body injury in Slovakia’s final game of the group stage against Sweden. Minutes into the first period, Pospisil was on the forecheck in the Sweden zone. When trying to chase down Victor Hedman behind the net, Pospisil caught an edge and fell awkwardly into the boards. He would receive assistance after the play was blown dead, then skated off the ice, favoring his left arm.

Martin Pospisil just went hard into the boards and was in some serious discomfort.

Left shoulder/arm was the primary point of contact.

He's one of their most important players so they'll hope he's OK. #MensWorlds pic.twitter.com/a6woAh2S7h
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) May 21, 2024

Pospisil did not return to the game, which saw Slovakia lose to the Group B winners, 6-1.

Pospisil was having an excellent prior to the injury. In his first tour of duty with the Slovakian Senior Men’s National Team, the 24-year-old scored three goals and seven points in seven games, second to Libor Hudacek for the team lead in the opening round.

This puts Slovakia at an even greater disadvantage when they visit Prague on Thursday to take on Canada, the Group A winners, in the quarterfinals.

This was the first time Pospisil had represented his country on the international stage since the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship. The Zvolen native also played for Slovakia at the 2017 IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship.

Pospisil came to Czechia after spending most of the 2023-24 season with the Calgary Flames. After three years of meddling with the Flames’ American Hockey League affiliates in Stockton and Calgary, the 2018 fourth-round pick finally got a shot to play in the NHL, appearing in 63 games with the Flames, scoring eight goals and 24 points.

Pospisil signed a two-year, $2 million extension with the Flames back in February. It will take him through the end of the 2025-26 season.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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