Meet the Team: An early look at what Slovakia might look like at the 2022 World Juniors

This is a big year for Slovak hockey. The trio of Juraj Slafkovsky, Šimon Němec, and Filip Mešár is poised to crack the first round in next July's draft, and each has a legitimate shot of being among the first 10 names called to cross the stage.

Slovakia is set to play in a difficult Group B, but they have a well-balanced, skilled roster that could catch some teams by surprise if they're not ready.

So, who are the returnees for this team? Well, this year's Slovak lineup features 12 return players from last year's group, led by starting goaltender Šimon Latkoczy alongside Martin Chromiak, Roman Faith, Oleksii Myklukha, Maroš Jedlička, Matěj Kašlik, Šimon Bečár, Rayen Petrovický, Marko Stacha, Samuel Knažko, Slafkovský, and Němec.

The Roster  

The Slovak top-six has the potential to create a ton