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Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - 39alaska39 - 09-17-2019
-Prague, Czech Republic
With the World Championships just around the corner, IIHF teams are expected to start announcing their cuts out of training camp and announce rosters for the upcoming tournament. The Czech hockey federation is expected to be one of the more competitive teams at the tournament this year, and after a disappointing performance in last year’s prime event, they’re looking for a strong bounce back. For now, we’ll head to Prague where the final day of practice has just concluded and team leadership is sitting down to announce their roster.
The President, Vice President, Head Coach and Assistant Coach of the Czech National Team sit at a table before the President steps up to the podium to announce the roster for this year’s tournament.
“Good afternoon. We are extremely excited to announce the squad that is going to represent our great country at this year’s tournament. We were just as disappointed as you all were by our performance at last year’s Championship, and we think this year’s squad as well as our new training methods this year have put us in a much better chance to medal this year.”
Stopping briefly to gesture at the two Coaches at the table before continuing, “Our coaching staff has worked non-stop to develop that training program for our players and they have helped to select a team that we feel gives us the best opportunity to succeed. They’ve watched dozens of games this season, trying to watch as many of our players as possible, both in the SHL and the SMJHL, in order to pick the best team. For now though, we will announce the roster and give a brief explanation for each selection.”
“First, we’re bringing back 23 year old center, Shouta Aizawa @"Andybj" . Although he hasn’t had standout stats at the SHL level after being extremely successful at the SMJHL level, we like the physical game that he brings on a nightly basis. At over a hit per game, he makes players think twice about coming down the ice. Shouta will be wearing number 18 for us this season.
Next, we have one of our two rookies, from the Lethbridge Lions, Boruvka Banananak @PeanutButter . Boruvka is coming off of a fantastic season with the Lions, putting up 42 points and getting ready to come up to the SHL and play for the Challenge Cup Champion, Edmonton Blizzard. He’s a player that we’re extremely excited to watch grow and we think that Boruvka will be a long term contributor for the Czech team. He hasn’t decided what number he’s going to wear for us yet, but we expect to get that information out as soon as we have it for your media guides.
One of Czechia’s best contributors over the past few years will be continuing his run with the national program, and we are pleased to be able to welcome back Piotr Czerkawski @majesiu for another season with the national team. He’s one of the best Czechs in the world, and one of the standout players in the SHL each year. He had another great year with the New Orleans Specters, and we think that he’s going to continue to be a great presence on our team. He is a leader in our locker room and we think he is the kind of player that our youngsters can look up to.
Our next player is another long term contributor, a player that we feel can play up and down the lineup, David Kastrba @hewasajazzman . An extremely physical player that has the ability to make plays on a regular basis, David is an exciting veteran player. He’s one of the older players on our team, and we expect to rely on his veteran experience to help guide the younger players in our squad.”
Pausing to take drink from a glass of water on the podium, the Federation President stopped before he continues.
“Another player that we think is due for a breakout season, but we are extremely pleased to name to the team again this season is Jakub Novak @Esso2264 . He had a solid season with the Manhattan Rage this year, putting up respectable numbers as a 23 year old. He’s a young player still and we think that he is only going to continue to develop into a valuable contributor. He will wear the 42 jersey for us this year.
We are also lucky to have convinced Michael Scarn @Trautner to join the program this year again, coming off a similar season to Novak as a 21 year old in the SHL this year with the Winnipeg Jets. Scoring at just under a half point per game, he is poised to grow and develop further as a key piece for the Jets in the future. Coming up from Winnipeg, he will be wearing the 17 jersey for our squad.
Next up is another veteran player for the Czechs, Charlie Schieck @Grapehead . He’s been a valuable member of our program since he transferred from Canada, and we’re excited he’s continued to commit himself to our great nation. We will be asking him to play in a different role this season, and throughout training camp, he has shown a commitment to playing that role as we as he can. He’s got the skills to play all over the ice, and he is an extremely valuable member of program. Charlie will be wearing the 65 jersey for this year.
We are pleased to welcome, yet again, one of the longest tenured members of the Czech program, someone who is an MVP in the SHL and one of the best players on the planet, DeMaricus Smyth @Blastmeaway . One of the true superstars in the SHL, his ability to change the game in a single moment is something that is unparalleled. DeMaricus is an incredible player and we couldn’t be more excited that he is continuing to pull on the Czech lion each season. He will again be wearing the 24 jersey that we have come to know him in.
The oldest player at the age of 31, Dionyz Vyskoc @artermis is the elder statesman on this Czech team. He has been around the SHL for many seasons, knows what it takes to win, and is a vital component of our program. We’re grateful that he’s still kicking along, and we are glad to have him as a part of our team again. Dionyz will continue to wear his 00 jersey.
Another youngster on the squad, Filip Zadina @jjlangabeer will again be bringing his talents to the national team and representing the Czechs. Coming off a solid sophomore season with the San Francisco Pride, his scoring touch will be a vital piece to our team as we look to advance further than we did last season. We think that he is a player that is going to be crucial piece of our team going forward and we’re excited to see what he can do again this year. He hasn’t decided what jersey number he’s wearing yet, but we’ll get that to you when we have the information.”
There is a momentary pause as few players, their faces unseen but wearing jerseys, shuffle into the conference room and behind the screen and management staff.
“Ah, hello gents. Sorry, let’s continue. The next player we have being called up is Andrej Doskocil @Citizen of Adraa . We’d like to yet again thank our Slovakian neighbors for allowing Andrej and Dionyz to join our team with our player sharing program. Andrej had a huge bounce back year with the Rage, finishing with growth in points scored as well as a massive increase in +/-. Andrej is a key shutdown defender, and we will look to him to shut down opposing forwards. He will be wearing the number 8 jersey.
Another Rage defenseman that had a huge year that we think can be duplicated for us nationally is Barret McCarthy @Inf1d3l . Barret was one of the leading defenseman for the Rage this year in their run to the Eastern Conference Finals, putting up 47 points in the regular season. He took a massive step forward and we look to have him anchor one of our pairs and take on the best other countries have to offer. Barret will end up wearing the 45 jersey again for us.
Perhaps our best defender and someone who we would argue is among the top five defensemen in the world right now, Brady McIntyre @caltroit_red_flames will continue to lead our defensive line. He put up over 100 hits, over 90 shots blocked, and was still able to put up an extremely successful 34 point season that he capped off with his second Challenge Cup victory with the Blizzard. We hope that he can bring this winning pedigree to the national team, yet again. Brady will continue to wear number 27 this season.
Troy McClure III @Troy_McClure03 is one of the first names on the roster sheet each season, and his development since winning the MVP award in the SMJHL has continued at a high trajectory. He is a player that works in every situation, and we are pleased that he is a representative of our nation. We think that Troy will continue to grow and be a key member each season for both us and the Winnipeg Jets. Troy will be wearing the 3 jersey yet again for us.
We are pleased to be able to name Sean Stevenson Jr. @Obsidian311 to the national team this year, as he is a player that we feel extremely confident in being able to play an elite level of defense. With a massive +20 this season, he is a player that contributes extremely well at both ends of the ice and we expect that he will do the same for us here at the World Championships. Sean has been given the number 4 jersey for us.
While he hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations given by his draft position, Tokek Takshak @GeckoeyGecko still plays a key role on the defense for us. He has strong skating abilities and the ability to flip the ice, bursting forward to create opportunities on the offensive end of the ice. Tokek will be back wearing number 58 for us this season.
Coming off an altogether successful rookie with Manhattan, David Vent @ImShiny will also be joining us at the World Championships this year. Scoring his first career goal, fighting four times, and throwing close to 100 hits, David brings a change of pace to our defense and a toughness that we sometimes lack in the modern game. We are excited to see his play at the World Championships, and we will likely look to reunite him with his Rage pair mate, Tokek Takshak. David will wear number 75 for us.
In goal, Chris Partridge @Mackkz will be returning to man the crease for us this season. One of the steadiest goalies in the SHL on a game to game basis, we are extremely confident with him as our starter again for this tournament. While he had a down year with the Pride this year, we feel that Chris is the goalie to backstop us to the medal rounds and beyond. Chris will continue to wear the 35 jersey while in net.
Rocking the #BackUpTowel will be the newest member of our federation, Knox Booth @Tate . We were extremely excited to add Knox from Canada, and we feel that he is our goalie of the future. While he will spend most of the tournament learning from Partridge and getting involved with the team’s training program, Knox will pick up valuable opportunities to work with the team before he heads up to the Los Angeles Panthers this next year. Knox hasn’t decided what jersey number he will be wearing yet, but we will share that as soon as we have it.”
Clicking a button on the podium, the screens behind the leadership group changed to show CAPTAINS. The Federation President smiled before continuing.
“As you may have noticed, there were a couple names there were left out of the announcement that were expected to be on the team, and that was intentional. Those players are all parts of our captains group, and I am excited to announce those now. First up, wearing an A and the number 15 jersey, from the Calgary Dragons, is defenseman Bernik Vrzala @Off .”
Bernik stepped out from behind the screen, waved to the assembled media as cameras clicked, before sitting down in one of the empty chairs at the podium.
Bernik is one of the most pure puck moving defensemen on the team, and we are excited for him to bring his assists to the program this season. While the captains were selected by the players, we can attest that his leadership in the room does not go unnoticed and Bernik is considered one of the future stars in the both the SHL and for the national team.
Next up, wearing the other A and the number 43 jersey, from the Manhattan Rage, is forward Luke Thomason @"luketd" .”
Luke follows a similar path to Bernik, stopping briefly to shake hands with a journalist that he recognizes from the New York City media.
“Since he arrived on the scene, Luke has been one of the key players for us here at the Czech National Federation. A true star in the SHL and here in the IIHF, Luke is a leader in the locker room, often the first player in to off ice training each day. He sets a standard for our younger players and he is an exemplary representative of our federation. He scores goals, creates opportunities, plays a strong defensive game, and we will rely on him in all situations to be a key player. We are excited to bring him up to the team this year and will look for him to be a key contributor.
Finally, our captain. Chosen by the players, he has previously served as captain of the S44 WJC Gold Medal winning team. This year’s captain, wearing the number 90 jersey, also from the Manhattan Rage, is forward Alex Winters.”
Alex stepped out from behind the screen, shaking some hands before standing off to the side of the Federation President.
“Alex had another great year for Manhattan, achieving his first point per game season. We are excited to have him back with the Czech team and we hope that he can lead us another Gold Medal in second stint as team captain. Now, Alex has a few words he would like to say before we conclude today’s conference. Alex, the floor is yours.”
Alex steps forward, taking over at the podium. “Thank you Mr. President. I would like to thank all my teammates for the honor of serving as your captain this year. This was never something I expected and I’m extremely humbled by the faith that you have place in me. This is a very exciting time for the Czech Federation. We are in a great spot in terms of developing young players, we have core players that are excelling in the SHL and SMJHL, and I am looking forward to seeing what all we can accomplish together. To the media, thank you all for coming out. We do appreciate your time and we are honored that you flew all the way out here to Prague for this announcement. We are extremely excited to get on the ice and compete for our country, something that never ceases to amaze me each and every time that I pull on this jersey. With that being said, this concludes today’s event. Thank you again for your patience as we proceeded and we look forward to seeing you at the World Championship!”
Word Count: 2602
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - caltroit_red_flames - 09-17-2019
CZECHIA IS THE BESTIA
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - efiug - 09-17-2019
CZECHIA IS THE BESTIA
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - Blastmeaway - 09-17-2019
09-17-2019, 05:29 PMcaltroit_red_flames Wrote: CZECHIA IS THE BESTIA
This message has been paid for and approved by the Czechian IIHF
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - Blastmeaway - 09-17-2019
As some point we gotta turn this around.
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - Inf1d3l - 09-17-2019
CZECHIA IS THE BESTIA
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - karlssens - 09-17-2019
could this be the year?!
probably not.
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - Grapehead - 09-17-2019
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - Grapehead - 09-17-2019
09-17-2019, 05:55 PMGrapehead Wrote:
wtf
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - caltroit_red_flames - 09-17-2019
09-17-2019, 05:51 PMkarlssens Wrote: could this be the year?!
probably not.
Here's the thing. We've sucked for so long that we statistically can't keep sucking this much... Can we?
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - Blastmeaway - 09-17-2019
09-17-2019, 05:56 PMGrapehead Wrote:09-17-2019, 05:55 PMGrapehead Wrote:
wtf
its not the highest on DTs fix list so its not the end of the world
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - Slappydoodle - 09-17-2019
09-17-2019, 05:46 PMBlastmeaway Wrote: As some point we gotta turn this around.
That’s what we were saying back in the S20’s
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - SlashACM - 09-17-2019
Cal one of the best defensemen? Yikes
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - luke - 09-17-2019
09-17-2019, 07:50 PMSlappydoodle Wrote:09-17-2019, 05:46 PMBlastmeaway Wrote: As some point we gotta turn this around.
That’s what we were saying back in the S20’s
But this season will be different they say
RE: Czech National Team Roster and Captains Announcement - Blastmeaway - 09-17-2019
09-17-2019, 07:50 PMSlappydoodle Wrote:09-17-2019, 05:46 PMBlastmeaway Wrote: As some point we gotta turn this around.
That’s what we were saying back in the S20’s
What's old is new.