Martin Pospisil has always had an Olympic-sized motor.
But now, the feisty Flames forward is one step closer to realizing a childhood dream after helping his home country secure a spot in the 2026 Milan Games.
"We had a lot of chances and it could have ended up way more than it was," Pospisil told Derek O'Brien of *IIHF.com*. "But I’m really happy that we won – it was a really important game – and I’m excited to be going to Milan."
The Slovaks - who are the defending bronze medalists from the tournament only two years ago - knocked off Kazakhstan 3-1 Sunday in front of a sellout crowd at Bratislava's Ondrej Nepela Arena. Slovakia will now make a ninth-consecutive appearance at the Olympics - but with NHL players set to participate for the first time since 2014, the upcoming Games will be like nothing the country's younger generation has ever seen.
Pospisil, who was only 15 at the time, watched his countrymen skate to an 11th-place finish that year in Sochi.
Now, he's helping usher in a new era of Slovak hockey.
"Look at him," said Craig Ramsay, head coach of the Slovak National Team told CalgaryFlames.com earlier this spring. "He hasn't been able to come here (the IIHF World Championship) before, so now all of a sudden he's here and he makes an impact right away. That's something that everybody is well aware of.
"I can see him as a big contributor to the program down the road.
"And what a treat to go and play in Milan. That would be very special."
Pospisil finished the Olympic Qualifiers with three assists, along with four penalty minutes and a plus-two rating, while showing great flair at the centre position over the course of three games.
And soon, he'll arrive in Calgary, looking to turn that national-team momentum into a memorable, sophomore season.
