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Czech Republic Looks To Forward Core For Spark At 2014 Ice Hockey World Championship

Everyone (allegedly) loves that mythical mix of youth and experience-just ask the dudes behind Just For Men’s “Touch Of Gray” commercials (come on, HE TOTALLY GOT IT IN). In the spirit of bad acting cheap hair products for men in the midst of a mid-life crisis, the Czech entry into this year’s edition of the IIHF World Hockey Championships will seek to channel both veteran experience and youthful exuberance in a bid to capture its first gold since 2010.

 

Per the IIHF’s official team rosters, here are the players under Head Coach Vladimir Ruzicka’s tutelage:

 

No Name Shoots
Catches
Height
cmft dm
Weight
kglbs
Date of Birth Club
Goalkeepers
1 KOVAR Jakub L 184/6’0” 91/201 19 Jul 1988 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
53 SALAK Alexander L 190/6’3” 88/194 5 Jan 1987 SKA St. Petersburg
Defensemen
2 KINDL Jakub L 192/6’4” 95/209 10 Feb 1987 Detroit Red Wings
3 ZAMORSKY Petr R 180/5’11” 86/190 3 Aug 1992 HC Zlin
23 NEMEC Ondrej R 182/6’0” 92/203 18 Apr 1984 Lev Prague
27 KOLAR Jan L 190/6’3” 92/203 22 Nov 1986 Donbass Donetsk
46 POLAK Roman R 188/6’2” 103/227 28 Apr 1986 St. Louis Blues
55 SEVC Martin L 183/6’0” 89/196 23 Sep 1981 Lev Prague
74 VITASEK Ondrej R 193/6’4” 97/214 4 Sep 1990 Bili Tygri Liberec
Forwards
10 CERVENKA Roman L 182/6’0” 89/196 10 Dec 1985 SKA St. Petersburg
12 NOVOTNY Jiri R 189/6’2” 97/214 12 Aug 1983 Lev Prague
17 SOBOTKA Vladimir L 178/5’10” 83/183 2 Jul 1987 St. Louis Blues
20 KLEPIS Jakub L 186/6’1” 91/201 5 Jun 1984 Lev Prague
24 HUDLER Jiri R 175/5’9” 84/185 4 Jan 1984 Calgary Flames
26 ZATOVIC Martin L 179/5’10” 90/198 25 Jan 1985 HC Karlovy Vary
43 KOVAR Jan R 180/5’11” 94/207 20 Mar 1990 Metallurg Magnitogorsk
99 HERTL Tomas L 188/6’2” 89/196 12 Nov 1993 San Jose Sharks
60 ROLINEK Tomas L 177/5’10” 84/185 17 Feb 1980 Sparta Prague
64 SEKAC Jiri L 187/6’2” 88/194 10 Jun 1992 Lev Prague
68 JAGR Jaromir L 189/6’2” 102/225 15 Feb 1972 New Jersey Devils
88 PETRUZALEK Jakub R 176/5’9” 80/176 24 Apr 1985 Ak Bars Kazan

 

Constructed by General Manager Slavomir Lener, the primary threat of this year’s squad appears to be its offensive firepower; spearheaded by ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr and career-ending wunderkind Tomas Hertl, the forward core consists of primarily KHL talent, with NHLers Vladimir Sobotka and Jiri Hudler sprinkled in for good measure. Stay-at-home rearguard Roman Polak headlines an otherwise underwhelming defensive corps, with Detroit Red Wing Jakub Kindl providing the only other burst of name recognition. Though populated by two KHL netminders, the Czech goaltending tandem of Jakub Kovar and Alexander Salak has the potential to stabilize things from the back-end; per HockeyDB, Kovar-a former Philadelphia Flyers fourth-round pick-clocked an astounding .931 Save Percentage through 48 games played, complemening a 2.01 Goals Against Average that speaks volumes when viewed in the context of the offensive-minded KHL. Salak, a former Florida Panthers prospect, turned in an equally respectable .929 Save Percentage, coupling with a 1.96 Goals Against Average. Although the stakes are raised on the international stage, look to this tandem to emerge as a potential breakout candidate, given the defense bails them out when needed.

 

Situated in Group A, the Czechs begin their road to glory tomorrow, squaring off against Slovakia in the group’s opening nightcap. Other preliminary games for the Czech Republic include:

May 11th vs. Sweden (20:45)

May 12th vs. Canada (20:45)

May 14th vs. Italy (16:45)

May 17th vs. Denmark (16:45)

May 18th vs. Norway (20:45)

May 20th vs. France (20:45)

 

ONDREJ PAVELEC DIDN’T MAKE THE SQUAD LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Alex Lopez

Alex Lopez

Ridiculously injury-prone Business Administration major who tries to row, enjoys writing, digs rap, appreciates Chance The Rapper a tad bit too much, and loves the Florida Panthers. Spirit animal-Left Shark. Once set a food challenge record at some diner in High Springs, Florida. "Nice beard, dude"-Chadwick Stokes, Dispatch. Also enjoys long walks on the beach, guacamole and doing everything "for the bois".
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