He has had an NHL shot since he was 15, but they don’t want him in the national team yet. His time will come, the vice-champion of the world – NHL – Hockey says about Dvorsky

Rookie camps before the upcoming NHL season are in full swing, and several young Slovaks are also taking advantage of their chance in the best hockey league in the world.

Dalibor Dvorský stands out among them. The skilful striker has a great chance to imitate compatriots Juraj Slafkovský and Šimon Nemec, who debuted among the elite before turning 20.

He flashed three assists in the game of the rookie tournament last night, and experts agree that they will not be surprised at all if the talented forward tries the NHL already this season.

Against older opponents

It was February 3, 2021, when a thin boy with a basket on his helmet skated onto the ice in the extra league match between Banská Bystrica and Nitra.

The fans only became more attentive when he scored and, at the age of 15 years, 7 months and 18 days, became the youngest scorer in the history of the top domestic competition.

He also broke the record of the former great forward and later Stanley Cup holder Marián Gáborík, who made his mark as a Trenčín player at the age of 16 years and 27 days.

Many were surprised by his performance, but young Dvorský was not. From the beginning of his career, he was superior to his peers, which is why coaches regularly used him against older opponents.

Already as a 17-year-old teenager, he joined the II. Swedish league against “adults” and he himself admits that this experience helped him a lot in his hockey growth.

“I learned new things not only on the hockey side, but off the ice. I’m a middle forward, but between men I started as a winger. I feel that I’ve improved in this position and it’s no longer a problem for me to play on the wing.

In the A-team, I saw how players prepare for training or matches. The environment in the men’s locker room is also different. After all, there is a difference between talking to guys in their twenties and having fun with men,” he said in an interview with Športweb.

Last year he became the highest drafted Slovak, from the tenth place he was selected to the NHL by St. Louis. The “Bluesmen” had a clear idea about their draft unit, and the native of Zvolen fulfilled it exactly.

“The Blues needed a dynamic center who can play at both ends of the rink. Dvorský is an ideal “two-way” forward for them,” said Kyle Graden from Fansided.

Important campsite

Dvorský in agreement with the management of St. Louis stayed in Sweden and started last season with Oskarshamn. However, the SHL did not meet his expectations. He didn’t score in ten games and that’s why he chose to go overseas.

In the junior OHL, he demonstrated what he has done several times in his career before – that his game is a level-two higher than that of his peers. He scored 45 goals in half of the season and with 88 points he was among the best players in the competition.

But now he has a new challenge ahead of him. From June, the 19-year-old hockey player must prove that he is ready to play among men at the overseas level as well.

“Whether it will be the NHL or the farm in the AHL, nothing easy awaits him. I remember my first season after the transition from the junior team. The first two or three months I was just getting used to it.

Adult hockey is faster, more physical, I had to adapt. It can help Dalibor that he has already played several matches among men,” says Branko Radivojevič.

According to the vice-champion of the world from the championship in Helsinki 2012, the key will be in what light Dvorský will show himself in the pre-season camp of the Blues. If he were to do at least as well as he is now among the rookies, his chances for a place in the first team will increase significantly.

“Dalibor is for St. Louis highly rated “prospect”. If he shows in the camp that he can score goals and he can really shoot them, he can start the season in the pro league. He has all the prerequisites for it.

His shot has been at the NHL level since he was 15 years old. He will probably spend most of the season in the AHL because he needs minutes, but it is realistic that the Blues will give him an opportunity in the first team as well,” he thinks.

Waiting for a representative invitation

Dvorský has grown up, he has grown, he is 185 cm tall and weighs 90 kilograms. In an interview for St. Louis Post confirmed that he is ready for the pro league.

“I feel great, I had a good preparation. I will do everything to get to the first team as soon as possible,” he says.

Several Slovak fans would like to see him in the national team jersey.

Some were disappointed when Craig Ramsay and Miroslav Šatan left him out of the nomination for the May WC in the Czech Republic. He did not even feature in the team that, at the end of August, won participation in the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan at the qualifying tournament.

“I wouldn’t take it tragically. There are players who got a chance, took advantage of it, and there are also those who didn’t succeed. Dalibor has time in this direction. If they offer him the opportunity, it will be up to him to show that he deserves a place in the national team,” explains Radivojevic.

Ramsay took Juraj Slafkovský to the A-team as a 17-year-old, Šimon Nemec was the same age at his debut.

In the case of Dvorský, however, it seems that the Canadian coach was waiting. It may seem unusual to some, since the national team was plagued by a lack of quality centers until recently.

“As I said, it’s about taking advantage of the opportunity. Slafkovský and Nemec got a chance and took advantage of it. The fact that they were in the team from the beginning of training at the time also helped. It worked out for them, the coaches decided that they had what it takes, so they took them both at the World Cup.

I am convinced that Dalibor’s time will come and in the coming years he will be one of the mainstays of the team,” says the bronze medalist from the 2003 WC.

Dvorský is not the only one who wants to show himself in the best light before the new season among Slovak newcomers.

In the camp St. Louis is fighting for a place in the team as well as his compatriot Juraj Pekarčík, while Filip Mešár is in Montreal. The Minnesota coach is also closely watching Samuel Hlavaj, who caught the first game in a Wild jersey last week.

Radivojevic reminds that there are other Slovak talents overseas who play in junior or university competitions. Several of them can also be found in Europe, including his son, 17-year-old defender Luka.

“I am pleased that the boys are showing potential. The future for Slovak hockey looks good. We need to improve the conditions at home so that we can nurture an even greater number of talents.

Young people, on the other hand, must not slack off and must constantly work on themselves. I believe that one day we will once again celebrate the success of the national team in the squares,” wishes the former representative.