Martin Fehervary continues to set the pace for his nation on defense.
Fehervary again took home the Róbert Švehla Award at the Slovak Ice Hockey Association’s “Hockey Player of the Year” event — an annual occasion that celebrates the best Slovak players in the world. The award is presented to the country’s top defenseman, and Fehervary has now won it four years in a row.
The 26-year-old blueliner took home the award over the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s Erik Cernak and the Calgary Flames‘ Simon Nemec. Fehervary is still on vacation, so he was unable to attend the ceremony in person. Instead, his father Mario accepted the honors on his behalf.
Fehervary played 81 games for the Washington Capitals during the 2025-26 NHL campaign, his first season since undergoing surgery on a torn right meniscus in April of 2025. He recorded a new single-season career high in scoring with 27 points (5g, 22a) and averaged 19:16 of ice time per game.
The Bratislava native also heavily featured for Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Fehervary, who served as an alternate captain, notched four assists in Slovakia’s six games at the tournament. The team ultimately fell just short of a medal, losing 6-1 to Finland in the bronze medal match.
Fehervary also finished second in voting for the best overall Slovak player from this past season, an award that went to Montreal Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky.
Others honored during the event included Samuel Hlavaj (best goaltender), Tomáš Chrenko (best player under 20), Vladimír Országh (best coach), Nela Lopušanová (best female hockey player), and Oto Durmis (best referee).
Longtime NHL forward Michal Handzus and former Slovak national team head coach Craig Ramsay were also inducted into the Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame.
