At the Winter Olympics Milan Cortina 2026, an unexpected star emerged in men’s ice hockey as Samuel Hlavaj delivered a sensational performance to lead Slovakia to a 4–1 victory over Finland in the Group B opener at Santagiulia Arena.
The 24-year-old goaltender, currently playing for the Iowa Wild, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, stopped 39 shots in a dominant showing. The total set a new Olympic benchmark for a Slovak goalie in a tournament featuring NHL players, surpassing the previous record of 37 saves set by Jan Laco during the 2014 Winter Olympics.
From the opening puck drop, Hlavaj faced relentless pressure from Finland’s attack. He turned aside 18 shots in the first period alone and stopped the first 22 he faced before finally conceding at 4:15 of the second period, when Eeli Tolvanen capitalized on a wide-open opportunity.
Even after allowing the goal, Hlavaj continued to shine. He denied Rasmus Ristolainen on a point-blank chance midway through the second period and brought the crowd to its feet minutes later with a spectacular glove save on a booming slap shot from Niko Mikkola.
Hlavaj’s journey to the Olympic spotlight has been anything but straightforward. Despite being ranked fifth among North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting in 2019, he went undrafted and continued developing his game in Slovakia. During that time, he represented his country three times at the IIHF World Junior Championship (2019–21) and three times at the IIHF World Championship (2023–25).
His persistence paid off when Minnesota signed him to an entry-level contract on April 5, 2024. Last season in the AHL, Hlavaj posted a 14-14-4 record with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. He further demonstrated his potential on the international stage at the 2025 World Championship, recording a 1.99 GAA and .912 save percentage in five games.
The victory marked Slovakia’s first Olympic win in a tournament featuring NHL players since its dramatic quarterfinal triumph at the 2010 Winter Olympics, when Slovakia defeated Sweden men’s national ice hockey team 4–3.
With confidence building behind their standout goaltender, Slovakia will look to continue its momentum when it faces Italy men’s national ice hockey team in Group B play on Friday morning.
