Flames' Pospisil to play for Slovakia with Olympic berth on the line
The NHL season is roughly two months away, but Calgary Flames forward Martin Pospisil will see game action much sooner.
The Flames forward, who is coming off of a solid rookie season, was officially named as part of Slovakia’s roster as they attempt to land a berth in the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics.
Pospisil and his Slovakian teammates will host a three-game round-robin tournament from August 29 through September 1 in Bratislava. The other nations set to compete are Austria, Hungary, and Kazakhstan.
An international Marty Party 🎉
Martin Pospisil is set to play for Slovakia in the Olympic Qualification Tournament, running Aug. 29 through Sept. 1!
đź“„: https://t.co/EAy6Jtbrec pic.twitter.com/Y3giCUb6Uk
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) August 15, 2024
This will be Pospisil’s second time representing his home country in 2024. With the Flames missing out on playoffs this past season, he was able to participate in the IIHF World Championship this past spring. An injury ended his tournament early, but he still impressed in a big way, recording three goals and seven points in seven games.
It’s been quite a journey for Pospisil, who was considering calling it a career due to head injuries. The 24-year-old has sustained at least five concussions during his playing career, which limited his development since turning pro.
“It was very hard. I lived alone and had no one here,” Pospisil said in Czech on the Boris a Brambor podcast (translated with Google Translate). “I couldn’t do anything. I had vertigo, and I couldn’t stand light. I thought, what if it doesn’t get better? Hockey is everything to me. It was hard.”
Thankfully for Pospisil, things have gotten better. He received his first NHL call-up last November and never looked back. He wound up playing 63 games with the Flames, scoring eight goals and 24 points while registering a team-leading 109 penalty minutes. The strong play helped him earn a two-year extension in February.
The Flames hope to see more of the same from Pospisil in 2024-25, and being able to get in-game action ahead of training camp should help him with that.
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