Striker Radim Zohorna was already on the roster of Czech hockey players for the World Championship before his arrival in Riga. The 27-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs player, who finished the season on a farm in the AHL, filled the second vacant spot after the elimination of injured forwards Lukáš Sedlák and Filip Chytil, for whom the tournament ended.
This year, it is now possible to replace a player who has been eliminated due to health reasons after providing medical reports to the International Ice Hockey Federation. Chytil replaced Zohorn on the roster.
Sedlák’s place was already taken on Friday by Radan Lenc from Swedish HV 71, who already started in today’s match against Norway and took part in the 2:0 win. Zohorna is on her way from Canada. The general manager of the national team, Martin Havlát, confirmed this morning that the player received permission from the Maple Leafs to start at the championship.
“Radim Zohorna has passed all exit and medical examinations overseas and is eligible to join the national team. If he can catch all connecting flights, he should arrive in Riga on Sunday afternoon. The coaches will decide when he will play for the first time today or tomorrow, ” said Havlát.
Zohorna will present herself at a major international event for the first time. His club season ended on Thursday night after the Toronto Marlies were eliminated in the finals of the Northeast Division of the AHL playoffs with Rochester 0-3 for games.
He came to Toronto in early March from Calgary. He played two games for the Maple Leafs and scored one goal. In total, the former Pittsburgh player has 35 games and 11 points for five hits and six assists in three seasons in the NHL.
His older brothers have experience in big tournaments, with whom he also met in one attack in the national team. Thirty-five-year-old Tomáš from Pardubice competed in four World Championships and two Olympics. Thirty-two-year-old Hynek from Oskarshamn, Sweden, like Lenc, did not pass the final cut. He has participated in two world championships and was in Beijing last year.
