Just two months after re-signing with the team, veteran New Jersey Devils forward Tomas Tatar has captained his home nation of Slovakia to a 2026 Winter Olympics qualification.
Tatar, 33, scored one goal in his three appearances as Slovakia won all three of its games en route to qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Slovakia defeated Austria 2-1 on Thursday, Hungary 7-3 on Friday, and Kazakhstan 3-1 on Sunday.
Tatar's Devils teammate, defenseman Simon Nemec, had one assist through his two appearances before bowing out of international duty due to an unfortunate upper-body injury.
Interestingly, as a side note, the young Devils defenseman actually has more senior appearances for Slovakia than the elder Tatar. Nemec has played 88 games for Slovakia at the age of 20, whereas Tatar has played just 56 despite being 13 years older than Nemec.
Also worth noting is the fact that Tatar will be 35 years old by the time the Winter Olympics roll around in Feb. 2026. The Devils brought the NHL journeyman back on a one-year contract on July 2 following a disappointing season for both the team and the player, but if the downward trend continues for Tatar, it's certainly possible that this was his last hurrah on the ice for Slovakia.
Nemec, on the other hand, is already logging heavy minutes for the Devils and his country at a young age, though what appears to be a shoulder injury is worth monitoring in the short and long term. Nemec is due to fly back to New Jersey soon for further testing and appears to have avoided a significant injury.
For a Devils team that was in a constant state of disarray in 2023-24, Tatar's leadership will be warmly welcomed back into the locker room with open arms this year. The 33-year-old is expected to reprise a top-six role on a line with Devils captain Nico Hischier and youngster Dawson Mercer, who remains without a contract as a restricted free agent.