WHL Regina Pats

Svozil Named Captain of Czechia, Will Face Bedard and Canada Tonight

Published on December 26, 2022 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Regina Pats News Release


Halifax, N.S. - The 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship from Halifax and Moncton are officially underway today, and tonight brings a special matchup for Regina Pats fans.

Pats captain Connor Bedard, equipment manager Gord Cochran and the rest of Canada will open their tournament at 5:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time (7:30 p.m. Atlantic time) against Pats defenceman Stanislav Svozil and Czechia.

Svozil, who will be playing in his third World Junior tournament, was named the captain of Czechia earlier today.

The 19-year-old from Prerov, CZE recorded three points (1G-2A) in six games at the 2022 World Juniors this past August. The 19-year-old also scored a highlight reel goal one year ago today against Canada in the World Junior tournament that ended up getting postponed and eventually rescheduled for August. Svozil has 37 points (5G-32A) in 28 games this season for the Pats, with his 32 assists ranking first amongst all WHL defencemen. He was a third round selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Bedard, 17, won gold with Canada at the 2022 World Juniors in August, where he scored four goals and added four assists for eight points in seven games as a double under-ager. The North Vancouver, B.C. product leads the WHL in points (64), goals (27), assists (37) and goals per-game (0.96) in 28 games this season. The 5-foot-10, 185 lb. centre is currently riding a 27 game point-streak with all 64 points during that stretch.

Canada's roster features 18 CHL players and 11 WHL players, while the Czech side is also heavily represented by the CHL with 12 players, five of whom play in the WHL.

The host Canadians seek their 20th World Juniors gold medal in Halifax, while Czechia will look to claim hardware after a fourth-place finish in 2022. Canada's pre-tournament action saw them go a perfect 3-0 thanks to wins over Switzerland, Slovakia and Finland, while Czechia went 1-1.

Where to watch:

All World Junior games can be seen live on TSN.

Tonight's tournament opener between Canada and Czechia can be seen on TSN 1, 4 or 5.

Follow @WHLPats on Twitter and @ReginaPatsHockey on Instagram for highlights and news throughout the tournament!

Check out the Regina Pats Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from December 26, 2022


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