Wild's Samuel Hlavaj: Yields four goals to Finland
Rotowire
Hlavaj turned aside 29 of 33 shots on goal during Slovakia's 6-1 loss to Finland in the Olympic bronze-medal game Saturday.
Hlavaj was tasked with defending against a strong offense in Finland, which was able to compile four goals against him across the first 50 minutes of the contest. With the loss, the 24-year-old Hlavaj finished the Olympics with a 3.56 GAA and a .908 save percentage across five appearances. While he'll head back to AHL Iowa without an Olympic medal, the young netminder was able to showcase his skills on the world stage, which could lead to an NHL call-up if Minnesota's Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt pick up an injury.
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Wild's Samuel Hlavaj: Set to face Finland
Rotowire
Hlavaj will start for Slovakia against Finland in Saturday's bronze-medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Hlavaj allowed four goals on 23 shots before being pulled midway through the second period in Slovakia's 6-2 loss to Team USA in the semifinals Friday. His GAA is up to 3.39, but that contrasts with a strong .915 save percentage across four outings in the tournament. After competing for a medal Saturdy, he'll probably rejoin AHL Iowa. He has a 3.33 GAA and an .884 save percentage in 18 appearances with Iowa in 2025-26.
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Wild's Samuel Hlavaj: Pulled vs. United States
Rotowire
Hlavaj was pulled in the second period of Slovakia's 6-2 loss to the United States in the semifinals of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday after allowing four goals on 23 shots.
Hlavaj left the contest midway through the second frame when Slovakia was trailing by four goals. His exit from the contest indicates that he will probably start in the bronze-medal game against Finland on Saturday.
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Wild's Samuel Hlavaj: Starting against United States
Rotowire
Hlavaj will start for Slovakia during Friday's semifinal matchup against the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Hlavaj has made four appearances at the Olympics, going 3-1-0 with a 2.67 GAA and .932 save percentage. He'll face a tough test against the United States, but he was productive against Germany during the quarterfinals, allowing two goals on 27 shots in the 6-2 victory.
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Wild's Samuel Hlavaj: Headed to semifinals
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Hlavaj stopped 25 shots in Slovakia's 6-2 win over Germany during the quarterfinals of the Olympic men's hockey tournament Wednesday.
The Wild prospect got plenty of help from his offense, as Slovakia built a 4-0 lead before Hlavaj finally saw a puck get past him late in the second period. The 24-year-old netminder has been as impressive as his team in the tournament, allowing eight goals on 118 shots (.932 save percentage) as Slovakia looks to medal for a second straight Olympics after winning bronze at Beijing in 2022, a year when NHL players weren't involved.
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Wild's Samuel Hlavaj: Can't weather storm against Sweden
Rotowire
Hlavaj made 46 saves in Slovakia's 5-3 loss to Sweden on Saturday in Olympic round-robin action.
Slovakia got outshot 51-32 in the contest, but Hlavaj came up with several big saves to keep his team in the game. The 24-year-old Wild prospect allowed six goals on 91 shots in his two Olympic starts. Slovakia has a 2-1 record in the preliminary round, but whether the team receives a bye to the quarterfinals or will have to play in Tuesday's qualification round hinges on the result of Finland's final round-robin game against Italy.
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Wild's Samuel Hlavaj: Gets starting nod versus Sweden
Rotowire
Hlavaj will protect the Slovakian cage versus Sweden on Saturday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Hlavaj was outstanding in Wednesday's 4-1 upset win over Finland while stopping 39 shots. He has spent most of the 2025-26 campaign with AHL Iowa, going 5-9-4 with a 3.24 GAA and an .884 save percentage over 18 starts. Sweden has its back against the wall in Saturday's contest, as goal differential is poised to play a significant role in deciding which team wins Group B.
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Wild's Samuel Hlavaj: Earns shutout Sunday
Rotowire
Hlavaj recorded a 28-save shutout in AHL Iowa's 6-0 win over Manitoba on Sunday.
Hlavaj picked up his first shutout of the season and the second of his career. He is now 4-5-1 with a 3.21 GAA and an .884 save percentage over 10 appearances. Hlavaj is battling with Cal Petersen for starts with Iowa, though neither will be able to rely on performance alone to get to the NHL, where the Wild boast a strong goaltending duo in Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt.
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Wild's Samuel Hlavaj: Headed for Worlds
Rotowire
Hlavaj will join Slovakia for the 2025 IIHF World Championship.
Hlavaj outplayed Jesper Wallstedt at the AHL level and is expected to battle Wallstedt for the backup role behind Filip Gustavsson with the Wild in 2025-26 as Marc-Andre Fleury has retired. Hlavaj went 14-14-3 with a 2.85 GAA and a .904 save percentage across 36 regular-season appearances at AHL Iowa in 2024-25 and will gain extra experience with Slovakia and is expected to be their No. 1 goaltender as he will vie with Adam Huska and Patrik Rybar for the top job.
