Slovenia Announces Provisional Roster for Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga

09 Aug 2024 | HZS PR

Slovenia's men's national ice hockey team is set to begin its international season earlier than usual this year, with preparations starting over two months ahead of their regular schedule. The early start is driven by the final qualification tournament for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, scheduled to take place from August 29 to September 1, 2024, in Riga, Latvia.

Under the guidance of head coach Ed Terglav, the Slovenian team, nicknamed the "Risi" (Lynx), will compete for one of the last three remaining spots in the Olympic tournament. Their rivals in the qualification group include France, Latvia, and Ukraine. The competition will be fierce as the Slovenian squad seeks to secure their place in the prestigious event for the third time in the nation’s history.

The Slovenian team will gather on August 19 in Bled, where they will begin their training camp. As part of their preparations, the team will also play two friendly matches against Austria: the first on August 22 at 19:00 in Bled and the second on August 24 at 16:00 in Kapfenberg, Austria. Following these matches, the team will head north to Latvia on August 27 to begin their final push for Olympic qualification.

Schedule of Games in Riga

Thursday, August 29, 2024
- 15:00 – France vs. Ukraine
- 19:00 – Latvia vs. Slovenia
Friday, August 30, 2024
- 15:00 – France vs. Slovenia
- 19:00 – Ukraine vs. Latvia
Sunday, September 1, 2024
- 12:00 – Slovenia vs. Ukraine
- 16:00 – Latvia vs. France

The Slovenian national team will need to bring their best performance to advance in this critical qualification tournament. With a combination of experienced veterans and rising stars, they hope to capture one of the coveted tickets to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Goalies

Gašper Krošelj
Matija Pintarič
Žan Us

Defensemen

Rožle Bohinc
Aljoša Crnovič
Kristjan Čepon
Jan Ćosić
Blaž Gregorc
Aleksandar Magovac
Bine Mašič
Matic Podlipnik
Miha Štebih
Žiga Pavlin

Forwards

Miha Beričič
Jan Drozg
Luka Gomboc
Žiga Jeglič
Rok Kapel
Anže Kuralt
Rok Macuh
Marcel Mahkovec
Luka Maver
Žiga Mehle
Ken Ograjenšek
Robert Sabolič
Nik Simšič
Rok Tičar
Blaž Tomaževič
Matic Török
Jan Urbas
Miha Verlič