Czech Republic and Latvia will face-off in Okotoks

Hockey: World Junior Championship pre-tournament game at Centennial Dec. 20

Hockey fans in the foothills can get a first glance at one of Canada’s rivals at the World Junior Championship before the prestigious international tournament gets underway.

The Czech Republic, matched up alongside Canada in Group B, and Latvia will square off in a pre-tournament game at Centennial Arena in Okotoks on Dec. 20 in preparation for the World Junior Championship (WJC).

The Czechs, last year’s seventh place finishers, boast a roster with several top prospects for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and eight players already selected by NHL clubs.

One of the players expected to lead on the backend is Vancouver Giants defenceman David Musil. The big-bodied 18-year-old was selected 31st overall by the Edmonton Oilers at the 2011 draft. Musil, the son of 13-year NHL veteran Frank Musil and nephew of two-time Stanley Cup champion Bobby Holik, is a strong two-way player, explained Giants bench boss Don Hay – also the head coach of Team Canada.

“He’s a real strong player on the defensive side of the puck. He’s a big strong kid who defends really well and moves the puck up the ice,” Hay said of Musil. “He has the potential to one day play in the National Hockey League.”

Musil missed out on a chance to play for his country at last year’s tournament due to a leg injury. The blueliner is chomping at the bit to take part in the 2012 WJC – co-hosted by Calgary and Edmonton from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.

The Edmonton Oilers’ prospect said the game against Latvia presents an opportunity for his team to build some chemistry.

“It’s more for us to get to know each other as a team,” Musil said. “It should be a pretty exciting game to play in.”

Musil said he’s anticipating he and his teammates to form a solid squad.

“We’re going to have a pretty good team,” Musil said. “We’re going to have a couple good forwards that are going to be good for us. We’ve just got to rely on ourselves and trust in each other and that’s the most important thing.”

Hay, in his second stint behind the bench for Canada at the WJC after winning the tournament in 1995, said the 2012 edition of Czech Republic will be a difficult squad to overcome.

“We expect to see a real competitive Czech team,” Hay said. “They have a lot of players playing in North America so they’re used to the North American game and the culture over here so it’s not a big adjustment for them to come over here.”

The Czech Republic team includes a number of skaters expected to be taken early at the 2012 draft, including Halifax Mooseheads forward Martin Frk as well as Slavia centre Tomas Hertl, the top-ranked Czech prospect by NHL Central Scouting’s international preliminary rankings.

Czech Republic is mired in a slump at the WJC as its bronze medal in 2005 represents its only top-three finish at the tournament since it won back-to-back WJC titles in 2000 and 2001. This year’s roster looks poised to revert that trend. Hay said the Czech Republic will represent a strong challenge to Canada in the round-robin stage as the teams are set to square off in a Group B match on Dec. 28.

“They can play a skill game and then a gritty competitive game also,” Hay said. “They have a strong hockey background and they have a real good depth base and real good skill level so they’re going to be a real tough team.”

On the other side of the ledger is Latvia, a team which qualified for the 2012 WJC after a one-year hiatus as a result of winning the 2011 WJC Division 1 Group A tournament in Belarus.

The Latvian team features four skaters plying their trade in North America; Kristians Pelss from the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, Nikita Kolesnikovs from Blainville-Boisbriand of the QMJHL, Zemgus Girgensons of the United States Hockey League’s Dubuque Fighting Saints and Theodor Blueger from the vaunted Minnesota based high school Shattuck St. Mary’s.

However, the majority of the squad is home based as 17 of the 31 players named to the selection camp play for Latvian clubs, with three skaters playing in both Sweden and Switzerland.

Pelss, one of five returning players from Latvia’s squad at the Division 1 WJC, is the only member of the team drafted by an NHL team as the Oil Kings’ forward was selected 181st overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2010.

Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal said Pelss is an exciting hockey player who brings a skill game to the ice with a strong element of grit.

“Kristians Pelss is an explosive player with great speed,” Laxdal said. “One of his biggest things is he’s got great pursuit of the puck.”

Laxdal said Pelss, as one of the veterans of WJC play, will likely be leaned on for his experience.

“I don’t think they’re that deep,” Laxdal said of Team Latvia. “It’s an opportunity for Kristians to be one of the leaders on that hockey team.”

Latvia and Czech Republic face off at 7 p.m. Centennial Arena on Dec. 20. For more information visit the World Junior Championship section on the Hockey Canada website at www.hockeycanada.ca.

rgreer@okotoks.greatwest.ca