During the 37th edition of the German Cup The Slovak national hockey team also used the German Cup for an inspection trip into the venue for the 2027 World Championships.
Head coach Vladimír Országh inspected facilities in Düsseldorf, where the tournament will feature matches in the PSD Bank Dome, serving as the host arena for the basic B-group, two quarterfinal duels, both semifinals, and the subsequent bronze and gold medal games. The tournament held from November 5 to 8 saw seven players drop out due to health issues.
Slovakia evaluated potential operational bases during the event, which marked the first time the German Cup was held in Düsseldorf as a test event for organizers. According to Országh, the team reviewed both hotels and prospective locker rooms.
We looked at the hotel and the locker room, which could be ours, but we realize that given the ranking, we will only be able to choose fourth in line,
noted Országh, acknowledging that Canada, the USA, and Czechia are anticipated to select ahead of the Slovak team based on rankings.
The coaching staff noted that transfers to the primary arena should remain notably shorter than previous logistics during the 2026 World Championships in Switzerland, where the team was forced to commute from Bern to Fribourg. However, a notable minus identified within the Düsseldorf venue is the absolute absence of an attached training surface, which will likely force the national team to utilize the older Eisstadion an der Brehmstrasse for practices.
The Slovak squad in Düsseldorf competed in a tournament that provided insights into player nomination and technical details about the future venue. The team departs the German Cup holding mixed feelings following matches against Latvia, Austria, and a final contest where a 3-0 lead slipped away in the third period. The roster adjustments ahead of the event required six replacements from the Tipsport liga due to seven health-related withdrawals.
Following the initial roster announcement, goaltender Roman Rychlík and the Liberec duo Michal Ivan and Martin Faško-Rudáš dropped out. Subsequently, Matúš Vojtech, Róbert Lantoši, and Alex Tamáši were unable to attend the Monday gathering in Bratislava. The apologies were gradually piling up,
the head coach noted, adding that all seven cases involved health reasons.
Despite a shrinking reserve list, the team traveled with two goaltenders, nine defensemen, and fourteen forwards. The replacement call-ups featured Peter Bjalončík from Poprad ahead of his national team debut, Košice goaltender Patrik Jurčák, Poprad defenseman Martin Bodák, and Žilina defenseman František Gajdoš, alongside Marek Valach and Filip Krivošík, the latter joining the team on Tuesday following a viral illness.
Looking ahead to the main tournament, the 2027 IIHF World Championships will start on May 13th. Matches will be split between Düsseldorf and Mannheim, while the opening duel between host Germany and Switzerland will take place at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, a football stadium boasting a capacity exceeding 61,000 spectators. Slovakia is scheduled to face Denmark, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Canada, USA, Czechia, and Norway in the group stage.
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