Samuel Hlavaj - NHL News & Rumors | FOX Sports

Shines in Olympic debut Hlavaj stopped 39 of 40 shots in Slovakia's 4-1 win over Finland on Wednesday in the preliminary round of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Impact Hlavaj had the daunting task of dealing with a Finnish offense that featured elite talent such as Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen and Sebastian Aho, but he was only beaten once while carrying Slovakia to an upset win. He'll aim to carry this form into the team's second game of the round robin, where they'll take on Italy on Friday, Feb. 13.

12 HOURS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Slovakia goalie Samuel Hlavaj shows being an NHL player isn't needed at Olympics from AHL Iowa | Sporting News This is a clutch performance.

16 HOURS AGO • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

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18 HOURS AGO • Associated Press

Set to get Olympic start Wednesday Hlavaj is set to start for Slovakia against Finland on Wednesday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Patrik Mitas of STV reports.

Impact Hlavaj has a 3.33 GAA and an .884 save percentage in 18 outings with AHL Iowa in 2025-26. The 24-year-old was never drafted, but he signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Minnesota on April 5, 2024. This is the first game of the tournament for Slovakia and Finland, but the Finnish team is expected to be very good. Hlavaj will be facing the likes of Roope Hintz, Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen, as well as other NHL talent.

19 HOURS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Earns shutout Sunday Hlavaj recorded a 28-save shutout in AHL Iowa's 6-0 win over Manitoba on Sunday.

Impact 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.

DECEMBER 14, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Successful rookie season in AHL 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.

Impact 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 will gain extra experience as he is headed to the IIHF World Championship this week 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.

MAY 8, 2025 • ROTOWIRE