2025 World Juniors: Top standouts from Czechia vs. Slovakia

Credit: (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)

OTTAWA – Czechia has joined Sweden as the only teams still sitting at 2-0-0-0 at the 2025 World Junior Championship after beating Slovakia 4-2 on Sunday.

Czechia will face Sweden in the final game of Group B action at TD Place on Tuesday, while Slovakia will finish the round-robin with a meeting against Kazakhstan on Monday.

Czechia got off to an excellent start, with Vojtech Hradek and Pavel Simek both scoring in the first period. Peter Cisar would get the Slovaks on the board at 30:48, cutting the lead in half. But a pair of goals from Seattle Kraken prospect Eduard Sale helped change the course of the game, something

Dalibor Dvorsky couldn’t change with a late goal. Of note, Czechia’s Vojtech Cihar was ejected from the game for checking from behind, hitting Miroslav Satan Jr. hard behind the Slovak net. Satan left the ice and didn’t return for the final seven minutes of play.

Here’s a look at the top performers:

Czechia

#22 Vojtech Hradec, C (Utah Hockey Club): Hradec has had an outstanding tournament. He’s always moving and attacking the play and it resulted in the 1-0 shorthanded goal midway through the first. He’s excellent around the net and that’s where he’s doing a ton of his damage – but he has a solid shot, too.

#18 Matej Mastalirsky, RW (Undrafted): Mastalirsky scored a hat-trick in his last game and followed it up with an assist today. He’s proving to be a dynamic offensive forward – someone who can finesse his way out of trouble. Mastalirsky is having a breakout tournament after failing to register a point a year ago, and he only has one assist in 23 pro games back home. Maybe a showing like this will get him back on some draft boards.

#12 Eduard Sale, LW (Seattle Kraken): I’ve been perplexed bout my feelings for Sale for a long time now. At his best, he’s a dominant, high hockey-IQ threat every time he hits the ice. And for the most part, that’s what we’ve seen from him. That includes today, where he scored two goals and had a few other excellent looks. The Czechs needed him to be an overall threat and his two-way game has turned some heads.

Slovakia

#26 Luka Radivojevic, D (2025 NHL Draft): Radivojevic has been one of Slovakia’s best players from start to finish. He’s looking better defensively than we saw at this same tournament a year ago and he’s definitely not lacking confidence. He had two good looks in the first period, and I like how he uses his footwork and patience to trick opponents when he wants to get the puck somewhere.

#12 Peter Cisar, LW (Undrafted): The Fargo Force forward scored Slovakia’s first goal, and was generally their most dangerous forward in the first half. He’s known more as a playmaker, but he’s shifty and smart away from the puck, too. After a quiet start to the tourney, this was Cisar’s best game.

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