NEWARK – Slovak hockey defenseman Šimon Nemec, despite his current injury, should not be missing from the squad of the Slovak national team at the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
This was confirmed by the spokesman of his club in the overseas NHL New Jersey Devils. In this regard, he told journalist Kristy Flannery from The Hockey News: “There is no concern on our part.”
The 21-year-old German should be one of the key players of the Slovak team at the Games. His name already appeared in the first half dozen players with certainty of participation, the list of which was published last June by the Slovak Ice Hockey Association.
I saw someone asked about #NJDevils Simon Nemec. I asked a team spokesperson if there is any reason to believe Simon Nemec won’t be fully healthy by the Olympics.
“No concern on our end.”
This is more of a confirmation for anyone who was curious.
— Kristy Flannery (@InStilettos_NHL) January 2, 2026
However, he is currently sidelined with a lower body injury, and Devils coach Sheldon Keefe reported at the end of the year that he will miss another two to four weeks. He last started on December 12 against Tampa Bay. In 31 duels of the current season, he collected 18 points for seven goals and 11 assists.
The Slovaks will announce the nomination on January 8
In addition to the German, who as a teenager won bronze with the Slovakian team at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, the initial nomination for the Olympics also featured defenders Erik Černák from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Martin Fehérváry from the Washington Capitals and forwards Juraj Slafkovský from the Montreal Canadiens, Martin Pospíšil from the Calgary Flames and Tomáš Tatar from EV Zug.
SZĽH, in agreement with the International Hockey Federation (IIHF), NHL, NHLPA and in coordination with other national hockey associations and federations, will announce the complete nomination on Thursday, January 8 at 2:00 p.m. The Slovaks will face Sweden, Finland and home Italy in the basic B-group.
The German was drafted by New Jersey in 2022 from the second overall position, he made his NHL debut in December 2023. He has played 118 games in the overseas professional league so far with a balance of 41 points (12+29).
- Author: © List/
- PHOTO: X/Kristy Flannery
- Source: TASR
