Slovakia's Thin NHL Core Faces Steep Olympic Climb

Slovakia rolls into Milano Cortina with just seven NHLers headlining the roster, including Montreal's Juraj Slafkovsky and New Jersey's Simon Nemec, but the front office knows they're massive underdogs against the Finland juggernaut in their opener. Those locker room vets like Erik Cerna k and Martin Fehervary bring grit from Central Division battles, yet the lack of star power leaves them leaning on KHL muscle and Extraliga standouts to punch above their weight.