WHL Moose Jaw Warriors

Rysavy Excited for Next Steps After Successful World Juniors

Published on January 18, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release


Martin Rysavy has settled back into Moose Jaw after a successful stint at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The Warriors forward helped Czechia to a silver medal, falling to Canada in overtime in the gold medal game on Jan. 5.

"It was electric," Rysavy said on playing in the gold medal game in Halifax. "Obviously everyone was cheering for Canada, but it was one of those games that you will never forget."

Rysavy and Czechia were just one goal away from winning the country's first gold medal since 2001. He said the loss still stings, but even the silver medal is a huge accomplishment for hockey in the Czech Republic.

"We didn't have a medal in Czech for 18 years and no final for 22 years, so it's a big success for our team and it actually feels great now," Rysavy said.

After the tournament, Rysavy was able to return home to the Czech Republic with his teammates and he said the reception that they received was amazing.

"It was really fun to see all the people that were watching and following along in Czech," he said. "It's just an unbelievable feeling for us because we're still young and when you see that many people looking at you as their role model, it's a huge thing and a big responsibility."

During the tournament, Rysavy collected a goal and three points over seven games as he took part in his second World Juniors.

He said he learned a lot during the summer tournament that helped him the second time around.

"I played with guys who weren't playing in North America, so it was a little bit hard from the start because they were playing a different style, but as the tournament went on, I felt more comfortable," Rysavy said.

"I had a different role than here, so it was a little bit different, but you get used to that and the key for me was being successful in the battles and just be a good team player, I didn't really care about the points, I just cared if we were going to win or not."

Czechia opened the tournament with an upset win over Canada on Boxing Day and finished the round robin with a 3-0-1-0 record with their only loss coming in overtime against Sweden.

In the medal round, they dominated Switzerland, 9-1, in the quarterfinals and then got revenge against Sweden, beating them in overtime, in the semifinals.

The gold medal game was a back-and-forth contest against Canada with Czechia scoring twice in the third period to force overtime before Dylan Guenther scored the golden goal to win it.

Rysavy said the gold medal loss was an emotional one.

"I was crying a little bit after that, just hugging everyone because I was really proud of everything on the team and I'm just glad I was part of that," he said.

Rysavy said Czechia's biggest success came from playing as a team and doing what was best for the team overall, which is something he wants to bring back to the Warriors now.

"Going into the playoffs, it's important to just play as a team, not like individuals, so if we bring that thing that we had with the Czech national team, we can be a really successful team this season," he said.

Going into the second half of the season, Rysavy said he personally is going to use the confidence that he built during that tournament to do what it takes to win with the Warriors.

"Just playing my game and motivate myself to be a better player," he said.

"I'm really excited, Moose Jaw is my home, I really love it here. Sometimes you've got to do different business somewhere else, but I'm always proud and always happy to come back here."

Rysavy and the Warriors are coming off a 3-1 win over Saskatoon on Tuesday and will face the Blades again in the Bridge City on Wednesday night. The team then heads to Winnipeg for games on Saturday and Sunday.

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