ST. GENDER | Lane Hutson was once a small-time infielder trying to convince scouts that he had what it took to play in the National League. Now his achievements allow other kids his size around the world to believe they can be next. Even the Czechs.
Such is the case with Tomas Galvas, a 5-foot-9 ultra-forward defenseman who was overlooked in the draft two years in a row but made history at the IIHF World Junior Championships on Friday afternoon.
By turning the tide against Switzerland, he became the highest-scoring Czech defender in the tournament's history since his first appearance in 2024. With my 14e point, Galvas broke the mark held by Marek Malik and David Jiricek.
Because his English is too bad, the young man is afraid to give interviews on camera in a language other than Czech. Thanks to the help of our Slovak colleague Zdenek Mateevsky, who was a translator with us, Galvas kindly agreed to talk with the author of these lines.
“Lane Hutson is my favorite player,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Of course I would like to be like him.”
Third chance
Galvas is a hit this tournament with three goals and five assists for eight points in five games. How is he still waiting to be elected after two years of being in the draft? This question has been on Minnesota's minds since December 26th.
“I have no idea, you should ask the recruiters,” Czech head coach Patrik Augusta said quite frankly. “I wasn't surprised he was overlooked the first year, but he showed up last year. Maybe someone will give him a chance in the third year. I think he deserves it. He's an exceptional guy.”
“Yes, this is crazy,” responded Czech captain Petr Sikora. “I don't understand why. Maybe because he's small.”
“I don’t know why no one asked for this,” admitted Vojtech Csihar. “We’ll see in the next draft.”
If Galvas comes across as someone frustrated by the language barrier, he is said to be unshakable under pressure.
“He never gets nervous,” his coach marveled. “But what I like best as a coach is his second down. When he makes a mistake or loses the puck, he's always the first one to back off to get it back.”
Does this remind you of anyone?
Getty Images via AFP
The medal comes first
Galvas isn't spending too much time thinking about the draft right now.
He came to Minnesota not to show off his game to recruiters, but to win a medal, he explains.
The little guy says he hasn't seen any signs of life from the National Hockey League teams so far. And if he's not waiting for their call, it's because he's focused and determined to win the next match against Canada.
“We’ll see after the championship,” he concluded.
