Hlavaj was buried behind some strong organizational goaltending depth for the Minnesota Wild and hopes to get a bigger chance to showcase his talents in Toronto, likely in the AHL with the Marlies. The 25-year-old Slovak goalie had modest numbers player for a poor Iowa (AHL) team last season, posting a 3.28 GAA and .887 SV% in 22 games (7-11-4), but made a name for himself while representing Slovakia at the Winter Olympics.
Hlavaj was the star of Day 1 of the tournament, standing on his head, stopping 39 of 40 shots to steal a 4-1 win over Finland. He was given yesterday off, but he'll return to the crease Saturday vs. Sweden. He'll have his hands full again, as Sweden rank second in the tournament in xG/gm (5.52) so far.
Hlavaj has spent most of the 2025–26 season with Iowa (AHL), where he’s gone 5-9-4 with a 3.33 GAA and .884 SV% in 18 games. He started all three of Slovakia’s Olympic qualifying games, posting a 3-0-0 record with a 1.67 GAA and .929 SV%, and was also solid at last year’s World Championships (2-3-0, 1.99 GAA, .912 SV%). He’ll have his work cut out for him on Wednesday, though, as Slovakia enter the matchup as +320 underdogs.
Hlavaj is an undrafted 22-year-old Slovak Netminder that played the last several years in Europe after two seasons in the QMJHL. He had a 3.10 GAA and .902 SV% in 28 games (8-20-0) with Plzen HC (Czech) this season.
