Home » Sport » Slovakian Under-20 Hockey Team Gears Up for Junior World Championship with Adam Gajan Joining Team in Zvolen

Slovakian Under-20 Hockey Team Gears Up for Junior World Championship with Adam Gajan Joining Team in Zvolen

The Slovakian under-20 hockey team is preparing for the junior world championship already in full composition. The last of the 27-member squad joined the team in Zvolen, goalkeeper Adam Gajan, who arrived on Wednesday. The best goalkeeper of last year’s WC under-20 players in Canada feels he is well prepared.

“It was great to see the boys again after a long time. I have already completed two training sessions, one of which was a team one. I feel great and I believe that it will continue like this.” said Gajan in an interview for hockeyslovakia.sk.

Gajan has caught 20 games for the Green Bay Gamblers in the American USHL so far this season with over 90 percent success rate. “It’s going well so far. I caught the most matches among all goalkeepers. Defensively, we don’t have a very high-quality team, although we score a lot of goals, but I face over 30 shots in every game. At least this will help me prepare well for the World Cup.” remarked the 19-year-old goalkeeper.

news-item-description">The Slovakian under-20 hockey team met in Zvolen on Monday, where they started preparing for the end-of-year championship, so the preparation started already 15 days before the first duel. Coach Ivan Feneš spoke at the meeting about the chances of further reinforcements and also about his view of the team.

He shined at last year’s Junior WC and earned the award for the best goalkeeper of the championship with his great performances. In June, he became the highest drafted goalkeeper of 2023, when he was selected in the 2nd round out of the 35th overall pick by the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. He will enter the next championship in a completely different position than last year:

“Of course, it will be a little different. But I’m prepared the same as I was a year ago. I don’t think I’ll make a big deal out of it. Every tournament is different, every match is different, so we’ll see how it goes this year.”

news-item-description">One of the biggest stars and mainstays of Slovakia at the under-20 world championship will be forward Filip Mešár, who played a match in Canada over the weekend, but already on Monday he reported to Zvolen at the beginning of the preparations for the championship.

Striker Dalibor Dvorský can also boast of excellent numbers, who improved significantly after transferring from Sweden to an overseas junior team. In the Sudbury jersey, he recorded 32 points in 20 duels. He, too, has already completed several training sessions in Zvolen with his twenties. “They were in a great mood. We met a bunch of guys who have known each other for a long time. The training sessions were great and we are all looking forward to the World Championships.” said Dvorský for the SZĽH website.

The change of workplace and arrival in the OHL benefited him: “I also have excellent teammates who help me on and off the ice. I try to help the team in every game and I feel very good on the ice now.” At the championship, Dvorský will be a kind of guide for his teammates, as he knows Sweden well and is fluent in Swedish: “We’ll see if they need help. If so, I’ll jump in here and there.”

2023-12-14 15:20:08
#goalkeeping #support #camping #Zvolen #wowed #Canada #feels #great #Sweden #Sport.sk

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