Michal Pradel and Michal Svercek Lead Slovakia to Victory

Canada v Slovakia: Quarterfinals – 2023 IIHF World Junior

Two Red Wings prospects teamed up at the World Juniors yesterday. Michal Pradel and Michal Svercek, both 2025 draft picks, are representing Slovakia this year. They took on a Germany team that finished 9th of 10 teams at last year’s tournament. Both of the Red Wings prospects played solid games, leading to a Slovakia win.

Related: Guide to the 2026 World Junior Championship

Red Wings Prospects in Game: Michal Pradel, Michal Svercek

Draft Eligible Names to Watch: Tomas Chrenko, Adam Nemec, Luka Radivojevic, Lenny Boos

Rankings From Last Tournament: Slovakia 6th, Germany 9th

Michal Svercek: 1A

Admittedly, stats are a little harder to track for the World Juniors but Svercek looked solid regardless. His power play helper was one of the swiftest passes of the tournament so far. Svercek gathered the puck on the left half-wall. He made a tape-to-tape pass to the backdoor. Tomas Chrenko buried the puck and completed his hat-trick. Svercek was a major draft-day steal for Detroit. He was projected to be a second round pick. However, he was taken in the fourth. Hopefully, the skilled winger will be motivated to excel. He aims to help Slovakia in this tournament. He also hopes to contribute to Detroit in the near future.

Michal Pradel: 34 Saves, 1GAA

The big-bodied goaltender continues to add to Detroit’s already great goaltending pipeline. With a huge 17-save third period to close out the game, Pradel seriously stole the show for the Slovaks. Pradel is expected to be a difference maker for the Slovakia team. His impressive numbers are noteworthy. His strong play in America has made him a player to watch for both Red Wings fans and opposing teams. Ideally, Pradel will be part of a goalie room with Cossa, Augustine, and Postava. He expects this group to be among the best in the NHL in a few years.

Notable Performances:

Keep an eye on the aforementioned Tomas Chrenko. He’s going to be a top 20-30 prospect in this coming draft. If all this holds, that should be where Detroit picks. He is a small, skilled winger but shows some serious offensive upside. There is a lot to like in his game. This is especially true in the box score, where he managed to grab three goals in just his first game. Keep an eye on him as a potential riser in the draft if he has a strong tournament.