Slovakia's Lily Stern #18 battles for puck possession against Czechia's Marketa Mazancova #18 during Preliminary Round Group B action 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena on June 6, 2022 in Middleton, WI.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Michaeline Veluvolu
Slovakia enters the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division I Group A in Shenzen, China aiming at returning to the elite group after a decade away. Whether the team advances this year or not is difficult to say, but either way, there’s a lot of optimism surrounding the future of Slovak women’s hockey right now.
“The U18 team has been in the top division for a few years now and we’re just below and trying to get there,” said forward Janka Hlinkova, who at 27, is the oldest player on the Slovak team. “It’s cool to see my teammates grow as players and as people. They’re developing their skills and now have a chance to see the world a little bit.”
The Slovak women’s team qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics and played in the top division of the Women’s World Championship in 2011 and 2012, but that success was fleeting. By 2015, Slovakia had been relegated to Division I Group B.
“This is only one event, and if everything goes well, we could go up to the A Pool,” said head coach Arto Sieppi. “But if we don’t, then we don’t – as long as we’ve performed our best. Age-wise and team-wise, we have an opportunity for long-term success well into the future.”
Last year’s Slovak team held its last link to the previous era. Captain Nicol Lucak Cupkova, who played in the 2010 Olympics and two top-level World Championships, retired from the national team after the tournament. This year’s team is younger – other than Hlinkova, nobody is over 24.
“Even our older players are not old, which is why I say this is a huge opportunity for them,” said Sieppi. “As a coach, I want to see all of our players be leaders and raise the level of women’s hockey in Slovakia.”
Hlinkova, a dual citizen who was born and raised, and who developed as a hockey player in the United States, is in a unique position to compare the growth of the women’s game in two countries.
“If you look at the country sizes, Slovakia works with a smaller pool of women,” she admitted. “But it’s pretty cool to see how much the game has grown and to be a part of it as well.
“I came here five years ago, and to see these girls mature, get stronger, faster, and improve their hockey sense is great,” Hlinkova continued. “Just going to practices at different rinks, you see one or two more girls on the ice with the boys, and you can also see more Slovak girls going out into the world and playing. I’m connected with some college coaches back in the States, and they sometimes ask me, ‘Who’s this Slovak player?’ So it’s cool to see that this country is being recognized now as a good source of players.”
Another player with an interesting perspective is 18-year-old defender Lily Stern, who will be making her senior women’s IIHF debut in China but has played in the last three U18 Women’s World Championships at the elite level.
“It’s going to be an experience, obviously,” said Stern, who studies and plays in a U22 league in Canada. “They’re much more skilled than the U18s. It’s a really big jump but I think we’re ready and we’ll do well.”
Even in just the three years she has played, Stern has noticed a growth in the attention that the U18 Women’s World Championship has received. Slovakia hosted the tournament in 2020, which was played in relative obscurity, viewable only via webcasts that used just a single, stationary camera. Three years later, every game of this year’s tournament was produced for a television audience. That allowed, among other things, the lacrosse-style goal scored by 14-year-old Slovak phenom Nela Lopusanova to go viral on social media.
“It’s grown immensely in the last few years,” said Stern, who got a taste of the international media spotlight when she was thrust into the role of translator for Lopusanova. “We’re so thankful that we’re finally getting the attention we deserve. We probably deserve a bit more but we’re getting there. I think the entirety of girls hockey, the level is going up and it’s good to see how far we’ve come.”
Among the 25 players the Slovak team is bringing to China, Stern is one of six who played in the U18 Women’s Worlds this year and one of 15 who has played in the event since 2020.
“We have girls here who were on those teams and a few who will play in the U18s next year,” said Sieppi. “As a whole, I see the U18 and senior national teams working closely with each other.”
“We’re putting our efforts into growing it long-term rather than for one World Championship,” said Stern, echoing Sieppi’s earlier sentiments. “We want to grow the future generations and put in the effort for girls that are just starting hockey – showing them that they can achieve stuff.”
If the Slovaks need any inspiration, they need look no further than their familiar neighbours to the west. In the not-too-distant past, Slovak and Czech women’s hockey were on a comparable level, but over the past five or so years, the Czechs have taken off, qualifying for the 2022 Olympic quarter-finals before claiming the last two World Championship bronze medals.
“They did what we’re doing now, they just started a little bit earlier,” Stern said about the Czechs. “They put money and effort into the girls who were just starting and now they’ve got players who are top pros. That’s where we want to be in a few years.”
The upcoming IIHF Women’s World Championship Division I Group A will give a good indication as to how well the Slovaks are developing. Two of the opponents – China and Denmark – played in the last women’s Olympic tournament. Two of the others – Norway and Austria – were pretty much even with Slovakia last year.
“They’re all going to be tough games but the girls are ready,” said Sieppi. “They’ve been working really hard and they seem to be mentally and physically in a good mood on the ice. Playing five games in seven days will be tough physically. It’s a huge task, so I’m glad that our players are in good condition. We’ll need that.”
“The U18 team has been in the top division for a few years now and we’re just below and trying to get there,” said forward Janka Hlinkova, who at 27, is the oldest player on the Slovak team. “It’s cool to see my teammates grow as players and as people. They’re developing their skills and now have a chance to see the world a little bit.”
The Slovak women’s team qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics and played in the top division of the Women’s World Championship in 2011 and 2012, but that success was fleeting. By 2015, Slovakia had been relegated to Division I Group B.
“This is only one event, and if everything goes well, we could go up to the A Pool,” said head coach Arto Sieppi. “But if we don’t, then we don’t – as long as we’ve performed our best. Age-wise and team-wise, we have an opportunity for long-term success well into the future.”
Last year’s Slovak team held its last link to the previous era. Captain Nicol Lucak Cupkova, who played in the 2010 Olympics and two top-level World Championships, retired from the national team after the tournament. This year’s team is younger – other than Hlinkova, nobody is over 24.
“Even our older players are not old, which is why I say this is a huge opportunity for them,” said Sieppi. “As a coach, I want to see all of our players be leaders and raise the level of women’s hockey in Slovakia.”
Hlinkova, a dual citizen who was born and raised, and who developed as a hockey player in the United States, is in a unique position to compare the growth of the women’s game in two countries.
“If you look at the country sizes, Slovakia works with a smaller pool of women,” she admitted. “But it’s pretty cool to see how much the game has grown and to be a part of it as well.
“I came here five years ago, and to see these girls mature, get stronger, faster, and improve their hockey sense is great,” Hlinkova continued. “Just going to practices at different rinks, you see one or two more girls on the ice with the boys, and you can also see more Slovak girls going out into the world and playing. I’m connected with some college coaches back in the States, and they sometimes ask me, ‘Who’s this Slovak player?’ So it’s cool to see that this country is being recognized now as a good source of players.”
Another player with an interesting perspective is 18-year-old defender Lily Stern, who will be making her senior women’s IIHF debut in China but has played in the last three U18 Women’s World Championships at the elite level.
“It’s going to be an experience, obviously,” said Stern, who studies and plays in a U22 league in Canada. “They’re much more skilled than the U18s. It’s a really big jump but I think we’re ready and we’ll do well.”
Even in just the three years she has played, Stern has noticed a growth in the attention that the U18 Women’s World Championship has received. Slovakia hosted the tournament in 2020, which was played in relative obscurity, viewable only via webcasts that used just a single, stationary camera. Three years later, every game of this year’s tournament was produced for a television audience. That allowed, among other things, the lacrosse-style goal scored by 14-year-old Slovak phenom Nela Lopusanova to go viral on social media.
“It’s grown immensely in the last few years,” said Stern, who got a taste of the international media spotlight when she was thrust into the role of translator for Lopusanova. “We’re so thankful that we’re finally getting the attention we deserve. We probably deserve a bit more but we’re getting there. I think the entirety of girls hockey, the level is going up and it’s good to see how far we’ve come.”
Among the 25 players the Slovak team is bringing to China, Stern is one of six who played in the U18 Women’s Worlds this year and one of 15 who has played in the event since 2020.
“We have girls here who were on those teams and a few who will play in the U18s next year,” said Sieppi. “As a whole, I see the U18 and senior national teams working closely with each other.”
“We’re putting our efforts into growing it long-term rather than for one World Championship,” said Stern, echoing Sieppi’s earlier sentiments. “We want to grow the future generations and put in the effort for girls that are just starting hockey – showing them that they can achieve stuff.”
If the Slovaks need any inspiration, they need look no further than their familiar neighbours to the west. In the not-too-distant past, Slovak and Czech women’s hockey were on a comparable level, but over the past five or so years, the Czechs have taken off, qualifying for the 2022 Olympic quarter-finals before claiming the last two World Championship bronze medals.
“They did what we’re doing now, they just started a little bit earlier,” Stern said about the Czechs. “They put money and effort into the girls who were just starting and now they’ve got players who are top pros. That’s where we want to be in a few years.”
The upcoming IIHF Women’s World Championship Division I Group A will give a good indication as to how well the Slovaks are developing. Two of the opponents – China and Denmark – played in the last women’s Olympic tournament. Two of the others – Norway and Austria – were pretty much even with Slovakia last year.
“They’re all going to be tough games but the girls are ready,” said Sieppi. “They’ve been working really hard and they seem to be mentally and physically in a good mood on the ice. Playing five games in seven days will be tough physically. It’s a huge task, so I’m glad that our players are in good condition. We’ll need that.”