Martin Fehervary will have an early start to his 2024-25 season and represent his country in a round-robin tournament to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The tournament is taking place in Fehervary’s hometown of Bratislava.
Team Slovakia will square off with Austria, Hungary, and Kazakhstan in three games from August 29 through September 1. The winner will secure one of the 12 spots at the games in Milan, Italy.
“As you probably already know – he is a passionate fisherman and has many great catches 🐟” Hockey Slovakia wrote on Instagram. “We are glad that such a ‘big fish’ will not be missing from the Slovak team for the final Olympic qualification tournament.”
Fehervary has played for Slovakia four times at the senior level in World Championships but this will be his first chance to don his nation’s sweater in an Olympics. The 24-year-old rearguard last dressed for competitive action in late May for Slovakia when Canada eliminated them in the 2024 World Championship quarterfinals.
The Washington Capitals’ defender is one of many NHL players who will suit up in the qualifiers. He’s joined by Simon Nemec, Martin Pospisil, Pavol Regenda, Marian Studenic, and Tomas Tatar.
Per Slovak hockey insider Tomas Prokop, neither forward Juraj Slafkovsky or defenseman Erik Cernak were allowed to be called up from their respective NHL teams.
Fehervary is set for his fourth full campaign with the Capitals in 2024-25. Washington has yet to set the exact dates for its 2024 Training Camp but it should come a couple weeks after Fehervary wraps up his duties with Slovakia.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be the first to see participation from NHL players since 2014 in Sochi, Russia. The league’s commissioner Gary Bettman, Executive Director of the NHLPA Marty Walsh, and IIHF President Luc Tardif announced the news last February.
The new deal between the IIHF and the NHL includes the 2026 games in Italy as well as the 2030 games that are to be held in the French Alps.
NHL players are back in the Olympic Winter Games!🤩
The IIHF, @nhl and @NHLPA today jointly announced plans for NHL Players to participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Winter Games.👏🤝
Read more at https://t.co/ldDBa42X8a ⤵️https://t.co/7xzwzDKG6e pic.twitter.com/7AH8MMDm1y
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) February 2, 2024
