The Slovakia men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Slovakia and is controlled by the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation. A successor to the Czechoslovakia national team, it is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world. The team's general manager is Miroslav Šatan and their head coach is Craig Ramsay.

Quick Facts Nickname(s), Association ...

Slovakia

Nickname(s)	Naši chlapci (Our Boys)
Association	Slovak Ice Hockey Federation
General manager	Miroslav Šatan
Head coach	Craig Ramsay
Assistants	Peter Frühauf Ján Pardavý Andrej Podkonický
Captain	Marek Hrivík
Most games	Dominik Graňák (184)
Top scorer	Miroslav Šatan (85)
Most points	Miroslav Šatan (162)
Home stadium	Ondrej Nepela Arena
Team colors
IIHF code	SVK
Ranking
Current IIHF	9 1 (28 May 2023)[1]
Highest IIHF	3 (2004)
Lowest IIHF	11 (2017)
First international
Slovakia  2–2  France (Rouen, France; February 12, 1993)
Biggest win
Slovakia  20–0  Bulgaria (Poprad, Slovakia; March 18, 1994)
Biggest defeat
Czech Republic  8–0  Slovakia (Kloten, Switzerland; May 2, 2009)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances	29 (first in 1994)
Best result	Gold: (2002)
Olympics
Appearances	8 (first in 1994)
Medals	Bronze: (2022)
International record (W–L–T)
375–300–49

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Quick Facts Medal record, Olympic Games ...

Medal record
Olympic Games
	2022 Beijing	Team
World Championships
	2002 Sweden
	2000 Russia
	2012 Finland/Sweden
	2003 Finland

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Slovakia has won four medals at the World Championships, including a gold medal in 2002 in Sweden, and a bronze medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Slovak national team was formed following the breakup of Czechoslovakia, as the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. While the Czechs were allowed to compete in the highest pool (A), the IIHF ruled that because fewer players of the former Czechoslovak team were Slovaks, Slovakia would be required to start international play in pool C. However, Slovakia's play in the lower pools won its promotion to pool A by 1996. See also Post-Cold War period of the IIHF world championships.^[2][3][4][5]

Slovakia's first appearance in an elite ice hockey competition was at 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. With a lineup led by star Peter Šťastný, the Slovaks finished first in their group with three wins and two ties before losing to Russia in overtime in the quarterfinals. In the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the Slovak team was unable to use its National Hockey League (NHL) players in the preliminary round due to a scheduling conflict. This affected all of the smaller countries, but devastated the Slovaks as most of their best players were from NHL teams. The NHL only shut down its schedule in time for the second group stage, and thus Slovakia failed to qualify among the final eight teams both times. This turn of events was troubling to the entire hockey community, and the rules were changed for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.

Slovak national team members and notable players have included Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Marián Hossa, Marián Gáborík, Marcel Hossa; Miroslav Šatan; goaltender Jaroslav Halák and the tallest player in NHL history, Zdeno Chára. In the late 1990s, the St. Louis Blues placed Ľuboš Bartečko, Michal Handzuš, and Pavol Demitra on the same line. This trio became known as the "Slovak Pack," and were able to communicate in their native language without the opposition knowing what they were saying, unless, of course, they also understood Slovak.

Following the successful years for the Slovaks in the early 2000s at the World Championship, when they won the silver in St. Petersburg at the 2000 edition after a loss to the Czechs, winning the (so far) only title in Goteburg at the 2002 edition and securing bronze in Helsinki (2003), the results of Slovakia worsened and Slovakia began to drop out in the quarterfinals. The closest Slovakia came to relegation into Division I was in 2008, when they avoided relegation only thanks to two victories over Slovenia in the Relegation Round. Following was a series of three subsequent eliminations in the qualifying round (round of 12), including one at a 2011 edition Slovakia hosted in Bratislava and Košice for the first time, since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.

Largely unexpected, however, was Slovakia's silver medal at the 2012 edition, again won in Helsinki. This was the first tournament after the introduction of the new two group format, followed by the quarterfinals. Due to the surprise this medal was after number of unsuccessful tournaments, it was by many regarded as with a value of a triumphal gold. In the following years however, Slovakia again failed to repeat medal successes and even failed to qualify to the quarterfinals, with the exception of 2013.

In the Winter Olympic Games, Slovakia's highest achievement prior to 2022 was fourth place in Vancouver 2010. In the tournament they won against favourites Russia and Sweden, and lost against Canada in the semi-finals and against Finland in the bronze medal game. In 2022, the Slovaks claimed their first ever Olympic medal after defeating Sweden 4–0 in a bronze medal game.

The following table shows Slovakia's international record against other national teams from 1940 to 1945 and since 1993, correct as of 20 April 2024 after a match against Germany. Teams in italics are no longer actively competing. Overtime and game winning shot victories and losses are counted towards wins and losses.

Source:^[14]

More information Opponent, Played ...

Opponent	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD
Austria	42	32	2	8	167	76	+91
Belarus	37	24	1	12	107	72	+35
Bulgaria	1	1	0	0	20	0	+20
Canada	51	20	4	27	145	158	−13
Croatia	1	1	0	0	6	1	+5
Czech Republic	73	16	7	50	147	253	−106
Denmark	23	16	0	7	90	48	+42
Finland	38	7	3	28	62	123	−61
France	34	26	3	5	149	62	+87
Germany	81	46	2	33	211	194	+17
Great Britain	5	5	0	0	29	7	+22
Hungary	8	6	0	2	50	19	+31
Italy	18	14	1	3	77	42	+35
Japan	5	5	0	0	39	12	+27
Kazakhstan	11	8	1	2	49	22	+27
Latvia	35	23	2	10	117	71	+46
Netherlands	2	2	0	0	24	4	+20
Norway	36	27	2	7	140	65	+75
Poland	7	6	1	0	41	11	+30
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia	1	0	0	1	0	12	−12
Romania	7	5	1	1	53	7	+46
Russia	34	9	5	20	72	108	−36
Slovenia	12	10	0	2	43	18	+25
South Korea	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1
Sweden	41	11	3	27	90	134	−44
Switzerland	79	34	7	38	197	182	+15
Ukraine	10	9	1	0	49	18	+31
United States	30	10	3	17	68	102	−34
Yugoslavia	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3
Total	724	375	49	300	2 245	1 823	+425

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• National team jerseys
• 1994 Olympic jerseys
• IIHF jerseys 1994
• IIHF jerseys 1995
• IIHF jerseys 1996, 1997
• 1998–2000 IIHF jerseys
• 2002 Olympic jerseys, 2001–2004 IIHF jerseys
• 2004 WCH jerseys
• IIHF jerseys 2005
• 2006 Olympic jerseys, later used at IIHF tournaments 2006
• IIHF jerseys 2007, 2008
• 2010 Olympic jerseys, 2009–2013 IIHF jerseys
• 2014 Olympic jerseys, later used at IIHF tournaments 2014–2017
• 2018 Olympic jerseys
• 2018–2021 IIHF jerseys
• 2022 Olympic jerseys
• 2022– IIHF jerseys

• List of players in Slovakia men's national ice hockey team
• Slovak Extraliga