Slovenia men's national ice hockey team
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The Slovenia men's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Slovenia internationally. It is governed by the Ice Hockey Federation of Slovenia. As of June 2026, Slovenia is ranked 13th in the world by the IIHF World Ranking. The team's biggest success is reaching the quarter-finals at the 2014 Winter Olympics.[4] Their best record at the Ice Hockey World Championships is 13th place, achieved in 2002, 2005, 2025 and 2026.[5]
| |
| Nickname | Risi (The Lynx) |
|---|---|
| Association | Ice Hockey Federation of Slovenia |
| General manager | Dejan Kontrec |
| Head coach | Edo Terglav |
| Assistants |
|
| Captain | Robert Sabolič |
| Most games | Tomaž Razingar (212)[1] |
| Most points | Tomaž Vnuk (171)[2] |
| Team colors | |
| IIHF code | SLO |
 | |
| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF | 13 ( 2) (3 June 2026)[3] |
| Highest IIHF | 13 (2026) |
| Lowest IIHF | 20 (2020–21) |
| First international | |
Austria  1–0  Slovenia(Klagenfurt, Austria; 20 March 1992) | |
| Biggest win | |
Slovenia 29–0  South Africa(Ljubljana, Slovenia; 15 March 1993) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
Finland  12–0 Slovenia(Tampere, Finland; 28 April 2003) | |
| Olympics | |
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2014) |
| IIHF World Championships | |
| Appearances | 32 (first in 1993) |
| Best result | 13th (2002, 2005, 2025, 2026) |
Seven players from Slovenia have been drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL) since 1998; Anže Kopitar and Jan Muršak have played in the league.[6]
History
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Before Slovenia's independence, Slovenian hockey players played for the Yugoslavia national team. From 1939, when Yugoslavia took part in its first World Championship, to 1991, when the country disintegrated, 91% of all Yugoslav national team members were Slovenes, including the entire squad that represented Yugoslavia at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.[7]
Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, and joined the International Ice Hockey Federation the following year.[8] They first played as an independent nation at the 1993 World Championship, hosting the Group C tournament, the lowest tier.[9] They played in the elite division for the first time in 2002,[10] and at their first Winter Olympics in 2014.[11]
Tournament record
Olympic Games
World Championship
|
Promoted to higher division |
 |
Relegated to lower division |
Team
Current roster
Roster for the 2026 IIHF World Championship.[14][15]
Head coach: Edo Terglav
| No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | D | Miha Štebih | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 92 kg (203 lb) | 7 April 1992 |  SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč |
| 8 | F | Marcel Mahkovec | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | 17 December 2003 | HK Olimpija |
| 10 | F | Miha Beričič | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 15 April 2004 | HK Olimpija |
| 12 | F | Nik Simšič | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 86 kg (190 lb) | 12 March 1997 | HK Olimpija |
| 13 | F | Nace Langus | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 87 kg (192 lb) | 5 December 2004 |  Augustana Vikings |
| 15 | D | Blaž Gregorc – A | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | 18 January 1990 | HK Olimpija |
| 17 | D | Jan Goličič | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 93 kg (205 lb) | 30 June 2006 |  Blainville-Boisbriand Armada |
| 18 | F | Ken Ograjenšek | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) | 30 August 1991 | Steinbach Black Wings Linz |
| 21 | F | Jan Drozg | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 1 April 1999 | HK Olimpija |
| 23 | F | Jaka Sodja | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 17 December 1999 | HK Olimpija |
| 24 | F | Rok Tičar – A | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 3 May 1989 |  HC Pustertal Wölfe |
| 25 | F | Luka Maver | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 87 kg (192 lb) | 25 October 1997 | Steinbach Black Wings Linz |
| 26 | D | Maks Perčič | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | 92 kg (203 lb) | 2 April 2004 | HC Slavia Praha |
| 29 | D | Aleksandar Magovac | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | 91 kg (201 lb) | 9 February 1991 |  Gothiques d'Amiens |
| 30 | G | Luka Kolin | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 75 kg (165 lb) | 24 November 2003 | HK Olimpija |
| 33 | G | Žan Us | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 10 June 1996 | HDD Jesenice |
| 41 | D | Jan Ćosić | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 7 March 2003 | HK Olimpija |
| 44 | D | Aljoša Crnović | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 16 April 1999 | HK Olimpija |
| 46 | F | Matic Török – A | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 86 kg (190 lb) | 26 July 2003 | Ilves |
| 49 | F | Filip Sitar | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 29 June 2005 | RPI Engineers |
| 55 | F | Robert Sabolič – C | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 91 kg (201 lb) | 18 September 1988 | HK Olimpija |
| 61 | G | Lukaš Horak | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) | 5 October 1993 | HK Olimpija |
| 86 | D | Rožle Bohinc | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 15 February 2004 | HK Olimpija |
| 91 | F | Žan Jezovšek | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 98 kg (216 lb) | 22 April 1997 |  EV Lindau Islanders |
| 92 | F | Anže Kuralt | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 31 October 1991 |  Fehérvár AV19 |
Coaching history
- Rudi Hiti (1992–1995)
- Vladimir Krikunov (1995–1996)
- Pavle Kavčič (1996–1999)
- Rudi Hiti (1999–2000)
- Matjaž Sekelj (2001–2003)
- Kari Savolainen (2003–2005)[16]
- František Výborný (2005–2006)
- Ted Sator (2006–2007)
- Mats Waltin (2007–2008)
- John Harrington (2009–2010)
- Matjaž Kopitar (2010–2015)
- Nik Zupančič (2015–2017)[17]
- Kari Savolainen (2017–2018)[16]
- Ivo Jan (2018–2019)[18]
- Matjaž Kopitar (2019–2023)[19][20]
- Edo Terglav (2023–present)[21]
NHL entry draft
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Players from Slovenia selected in the NHL entry draft.
| Year | Name | Overall | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Edo Terglav | 249th overall | Buffalo Sabres |
| 2000 | Jure Penko | 203rd overall | Nashville Predators |
| 2001 | Marcel Rodman | 282nd overall | Boston Bruins |
| 2005 | Anže Kopitar | 11th overall | Los Angeles Kings |
| 2006 | Jan Muršak | 182nd overall | Detroit Red Wings |
| 2017 | Jan Drozg | 152nd overall | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 2024 | Jan Goličič | 118th overall | Tampa Bay Lightning |
