Slovenia men's national ice hockey team

The Slovenia men's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Slovenia internationally. It is governed by the Ice Hockey Federation of Slovenia. As of May 2024, Slovenia is ranked 19th in the world by the IIHF World Ranking. The team's biggest success is reaching the quarter-finals at the 2014 Winter Olympics.[4] Their best record at the Ice Hockey World Championships is 13th place, achieved in 2002 and 2005.[5]

Slovenia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Risi (The Lynx)
AssociationIce Hockey Federation of Slovenia
General managerDejan Kontrec
Head coachEdo Terglav
AssistantsGorazd Drinovec
Mitja Robar
Mitja Šivic
CaptainRobert Sabolič
Most gamesTomaž Razingar (212)[1]
Most pointsTomaž Vnuk (171)[2]
Team colors     
IIHF codeSLO
Ranking
Current IIHF19 Decrease 2 (27 May 2024)[3]
Highest IIHF14 (2014–15)
Lowest IIHF20 (2020–21)
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)
Olympics
Appearances2 (first in 2014)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances30 (first in 1993)
Best result13th (2002 and 2005)

Seven players from Slovenia have been drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL) since 1998; Anže Kopitar and Jan Muršak have played in the league.[6]

History

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Slovenian players at the 2008 World Championship

Before Slovenia's independence, Slovenian hockey players played for the Yugoslavia national team. From 1939, when Yugoslavia took part in its first World Championship, to 1991, when the country disintegrated, 91% of all Yugoslav national team members were Slovenes, including the entire squad that represented Yugoslavia at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.[7]

Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, and joined the International Ice Hockey Federation the following year.[8] They first played as an independent nation at the 1993 World Championship, hosting the Group C tournament, the lowest tier.[9] They played in the elite division for the first time in 2002,[10] and at their first Winter Olympics in 2014.[11]

Tournament record

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Olympic Games

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Year Round Position GP W OW OL L GS GA
1964–1991 Part of Yugoslavia
  1992 Did not enter
  1994
  1998 Did not qualify
  2002
  2006
  2010
  2014 Quarter-finals 7th 5 2 0 0 3 10 16
  2018 Playoffs 9th 4 0 2 1 1 9 14
  2022 Did not qualify
  2026
Total 0 Titles 9 2 2 1 4 19 30

World Championship

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Key
  Promoted to higher division
  Relegated to lower division
Championship GP W OW T OL L GS GA Coach Captain Finish Rank
19201992 Part of Yugoslavia
  1993 Bled and Ljubljana, Pool C 7 5 0 0 0 2 78 16   Rudi Hiti 4th in Pool C 24th
  1994 Poprad and Spišská Nová Ves, Pool C 6 2 0 0 0 4 26 27   Rudi Hiti 5th in Pool C 25th
  1995 Sofia, Pool C 4 2 0 0 0 2 28 15   Rudi Hiti 7th in Pool C 27th
  1996 Jesenice and Kranj, Pool C 7 5 0 0 0 2 41 19   Vladimir Krikunov 3rd in Pool C 23rd
  1997 Tallinn and Kohtla-Järve, Pool C 5 3 0 1 0 1 25 8   Pavle Kavčič 2nd in Pool C 22nd
  1998 Ljubljana and Jesenice, Pool B 7 5 0 1 0 1 28 15   Pavle Kavčič 2nd in Pool B 18th
  1999 Odense and Rodovre, Pool B 7 2 0 1 0 4 14 17   Pavle Kavčič 5th in Pool B 21st
  2000 Katowice, Pool B 7 0 0 2 0 5 16 31   Rudi Hiti 7th in Pool B 23rd
  2001 Ljubljana, Division IB 5 4 0 1 0 0 44 6   Matjaž Sekelj Winners   17th
  2002 Gothenburg, Karlstad, Jönköping 6 3 0 0 0 3 18 26   Matjaž Sekelj Consolation round 13th
  2003 Helsinki, Tampere, Turku 6 0 0 1 0 5 12 37   Matjaž Sekelj Consolation round   15th
  2004 Gdańsk, Division IB 5 5 0 0 0 0 33 5   Kari Savolainen Tomaž Vnuk Winners   17th
  2005 Vienna, Innsbruck 6 2 0 0 0 4 12 32   Kari Savolainen Robert Ciglenečki Relegation round 13th
  2006 Riga 6 0 0 2 0 4 14 26   František Výborný Dejan Varl Relegation round   16th
  2007 Ljubljana, Division IB 5 5 0 0 0 29 5   Ted Sator Marcel Rodman Winners   17th
  2008 Quebec City, Halifax 5 0 0 1 4 6 22   Mats Waltin Marcel Rodman Relegation round   15th
  2009 Vilnius, Division IA 5 4 0 0 1 21 7   John Harrington Tomaž Razingar 2nd in Division IA 19th
  2010 Ljubljana, Division IB 5 4 1 0 0 29 10   John Harrington Tomaž Razingar Winners   18th
  2011 Bratislava, Košice 6 1 0 1 4 15 24   Matjaž Kopitar Tomaž Razingar Relegation round   16th
  2012 Ljubljana, Division IA 5 5 0 0 0 17 9   Matjaž Kopitar Tomaž Razingar Winners   17th
    2013 Stockholm, Helsinki 7 0 0 2 5 12 27   Matjaž Kopitar Tomaž Razingar Preliminary round   16th
  2014 Goyang, Division IA 5 4 0 0 1 15 6   Matjaž Kopitar Tomaž Razingar Winners   17th
  2015 Prague, Ostrava 7 1 0 0 6 9 22   Matjaž Kopitar Tomaž Razingar Preliminary round   16th
  2016 Katowice, Division IA 5 4 0 0 1 18 8   Nik Zupančič Jan Urbas Winners   17th
    2017 Cologne, Paris 7 0 0 1 6 13 36   Nik Zupančič Jan Muršak Preliminary round   15th
  2018 Budapest, Division IA 5 2 0 0 3 15 15   Kari Savolainen Jan Urbas 5th in Division IA 21st
  2019 Nur-Sultan, Division IA 5 2 0 0 3 21 12   Ivo Jan Anže Kopitar 4th in Division IA 20th
  2020 Ljubljana, Division IA Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[12]
  2021 Ljubljana, Division IA Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[13]
  2022 Ljubljana, Division IA 4 4 0 0 0 22 5   Matjaž Kopitar Mitja Robar Winners   17th
    2023 Tampere, Riga 7 0 0 0 7 9 27   Matjaž Kopitar Jan Urbas Preliminary round   16th
  2024 Bolzano, Division IA 5 3 0 0 2 14 8   Edo Terglav Robert Sabolič 2nd in Division IA   18th
    2025 Stockholm, Herning

Team

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Current roster

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Roster for the 2023 IIHF World Championship.[14][15]

Head coach: Matjaž Kopitar

No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Team
4 D Aleksandar Magovac 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) 88 kg (194 lb) (1991-02-09) 9 February 1991 (age 33)   HK Olimpija
6 D Miha Štebih 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 92 kg (203 lb) (1992-04-07) 7 April 1992 (age 32)   Nice hockey Côte d'Azur
8 F Žiga Jeglič 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 80 kg (180 lb) (1988-02-24) 24 February 1988 (age 36)   Fischtown Pinguins
12 F Nik Simšič 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 90 kg (200 lb) (1997-03-12) 12 March 1997 (age 27)   HK Olimpija
14 D Matic Podlipnik 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) 83 kg (183 lb) (1992-08-09) 9 August 1992 (age 32)   Fischtown Pinguins
15 D Blaž Gregorc 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 95 kg (209 lb) (1990-01-18) 18 January 1990 (age 34)   Augsburger Panther
17 D Žiga PavlinA 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 97 kg (214 lb) (1985-04-30) 30 April 1985 (age 39)   HC Pustertal Wölfe
18 F Ken Ograjenšek 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) 75 kg (165 lb) (1991-08-30) 30 August 1991 (age 33)   Graz 99ers
19 F Žiga Pance 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 89 kg (196 lb) (1989-01-01) 1 January 1989 (age 35)   HK Olimpija
21 F Jan Drozg 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 82 kg (181 lb) (1999-04-01) 1 April 1999 (age 25)   Amur Khabarovsk
24 F Rok TičarA 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 82 kg (181 lb) (1989-05-03) 3 May 1989 (age 35)   EC KAC
26 F Jan UrbasC 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 98 kg (216 lb) (1989-01-26) 26 January 1989 (age 35)   Fischtown Pinguins
32 G Gašper Krošelj 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 86 kg (190 lb) (1987-02-09) 9 February 1987 (age 37)   BK Mladá Boleslav
33 G Žan Us 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) 78 kg (172 lb) (1996-06-10) 10 June 1996 (age 28)   HK Olimpija
35 G Luka Gračnar 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) 83 kg (183 lb) (1993-10-31) 31 October 1993 (age 31)   EV Landshut
44 D Aljoša Crnovič 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 85 kg (187 lb) (1999-04-16) 16 April 1999 (age 25)   HK Olimpija
45 F Luka Maver 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 87 kg (192 lb) (1997-10-25) 25 October 1997 (age 27)   Pioneers Vorarlberg
55 F Robert Sabolič 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 90 kg (200 lb) (1988-09-18) 18 September 1988 (age 36)   EC VSV
76 D Kristjan Čepon 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 100 kg (220 lb) (1995-11-12) 12 November 1995 (age 29)   HK Olimpija
81 F Tadej Čimžar 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 80 kg (180 lb) (1992-04-21) 21 April 1992 (age 32)   HK Olimpija
88 F Miha Zajc 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 90 kg (200 lb) (1996-12-08) 8 December 1996 (age 27)   HK Olimpija
91 F Miha Verlič 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 85 kg (187 lb) (1991-08-21) 21 August 1991 (age 33)   Fischtown Pinguins
92 F Anže Kuralt 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) 80 kg (180 lb) (1991-10-31) 31 October 1991 (age 33)   Fehérvár AV19
96 D Bine Mašič 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) 75 kg (165 lb) (2002-11-14) 14 November 2002 (age 21)   Vaasan Sport
98 F Blaž Tomaževič 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 75 kg (165 lb) (1997-10-14) 14 October 1997 (age 27)   EC VSV

Coaching history

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NHL Entry Draft

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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 Jure Penko 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 Jan Drozg 152nd overall Pittsburgh Penguins
2024 Jan Goličič 118th overall Tampa Bay Lightning

References

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  1. ^ "Rekorder Tomaž Razingar se vrača v reprezentanco" (in Slovenian). Siol. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  2. ^ Mavrič, Petra (15 May 2016). "Uspehi, s katerimi so nas od osamosvojitve razvajali slovenski hokejisti" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 13 May 2022. Največ točk v dresu Slovenije je dosegel Tomaž Vnuk, 171.
  3. ^ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  4. ^ Gruden, Toni (26 February 2014). "Risi v Sočiju - največji uspeh slovenskih reprezentanc" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Hokejski palček, ki kljubuje zakonitostim" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Jan Goličič je postal sedmi Slovenec, izbran na naboru lige NHL" (in Slovenian). Siol. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  7. ^ Manninen, Henrik (4 February 2014). "A Slovenian send-off". IIHF. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  8. ^ "IIHF Member National Association Slovenia". IIHF. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Breakup of old Europe creates a new hockey world". IIHF. 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  10. ^ Mavrič, Petra (21 April 2021). "20 let od sanjskega večera, ko Golica kar ni nehala doneti" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  11. ^ Uroševič, Siniša (19 December 2013). "Slovenski hokejisti prvič po Sarajevu vrnili plošček na OI". Delo (in Slovenian). Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  12. ^ Steiss, Adam (17 March 2020). "IIHF cancels Division I tournaments". IIHF. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  13. ^ Steiss, Adam (18 November 2020). "IIHF Council announces more cancellations". IIHF. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Risi uspešno tudi čez prezadnjo pripravljalno preizkušnjo". hokej.si (in Slovenian). Ice Hockey Federation of Slovenia. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Team Roster Slovenia" (PDF). IIHF. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Kari Savolainen je novi selektor risov". hokej.si (in Slovenian). Ice Hockey Federation of Slovenia. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Zupančič sprejel izziv in postal novi selektor risov" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  18. ^ "Uradno: Ivo Jan je novi selektor hokejske reprezentance" (in Slovenian). Siol. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Matjaž Kopitar bo novi slovenski hokejski selektor". Dnevnik (in Slovenian). 20 June 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Matjaž Kopitar ne bo več selektor risov" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  21. ^ "Nazaj med svetovno elito bo skušal rise popeljati Edo Terglav" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
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