Penguins forward prospect Jan Drozg was 14 years old when the Slovenian men's hockey team qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 2014.
"It was sick," Drozg told me Friday when I asked what it was like seeing his country in the tournament for the first time. "The whole country, it was such a surprise. It was really big for our country. We did pretty good, too."
The Slovenian men finished seventh out of 12 teams in Sochi, going 2-3 in five games. They returned to the Olympics in 2018 in Pyeongchang and finished ninth with a 2-1-1 record.
"The last Olympics we beat the U.S.A.," Drozg noted with a laugh.
Slovenia is now looking to make a third straight appearance and qualify for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. And for the first time in his career, Drozg will be part of that effort.
Drozg, 22, was named to the Slovenian national team for the upcoming men's final Olympic qualification tournament.
Nine countries have already qualified for the Olympics in men's hockey -- The host nation China, along with the top eight teams in the IIHF rankings: Canada, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, United States, Germany, and Switzerland.
The final three spots will be determined in the final qualification tournament, which will be held Aug. 26-29. There are three groups, each comprised of four countries. The winner of each group will qualify for the Olympics. Slovenia will be competing in Group F along with No. 11-ranked Norway, No. 12-ranked Denmark, and No. 19-ranked South Korea in Oslo, Norway.
Slovenia, currently ranked No. 20 in the IIHF rankings, is the underdog of the tournament.
"There are a couple of NHL guys (on other teams in the tournament)," Drozg said. "I think Denmark has five, we have only one (Anze Kopitar). It's going to be a tough group to play. If we win, it'll surprise people. But I think our national team is looking strong."
ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION OF SLOVENIA
Jan Drozg and Anze Kopitar training in Bled, Slovenia this week.
Drozg has been training in Bled, Slovenia for the last two weeks with four other members of the national team -- Kopitar, NCAA forward Luka Maver, defenseman Klemen Pretnar from the Polish league, and defenseman Ziga Pavlin from the Slovakian league. The other members of the national team are members of European clubs whose seasons are already underway, and won't join the rest of the team until Aug. 22 when the team travels to Norway.
"We'll practice for a few days, then play the tournament," Drozg said. "The whole team together will just have a few practices."
Drozg said he's listened to members of the 2014 and 2018 teams sharing stories in the locker room of their own experiences at the Olympics. The path to qualify for Beijing is a tough one, but Drozg has thought about what it would be like to be part of the tournament.
"It sounds pretty crazy," Drozg said. "It would feel amazing to play for the national team, especially if it were for the Olympic games. That's the biggest tournament in hockey. It would be sick to make it. We all know in the team that it'll be hard to reach that, but we'll do our best."
In the days after the qualification tournament ends, Drozg will fly to Pittsburgh to start preparing for the Penguins' training camp.
After splitting the 2019-20 season between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Wheeling, Drozg spent the entire 2020-21 season in the AHL. He played up-and-down the lineup last season, spending time on the right wing of all four of Wilkes-Barre's lines. His offensive production -- five goals, two assists in 30 games -- was at a pace similar to that of 2019-20, but Drozg made strides in his defensive game.
Wilkes-Barre head coach J.D. Forrest told me in April that when Drozg was put in a bottom-six role, the decision was made to allow Drozg to "focus on a few certain aspects of the game" with a simplified and reduced role. Forrest thought that Drozg responded well and made strides in the right direction.
"He's clearly taken it to heart," Forrest said of Drozg getting the message. "Some of the assets that we want to make sure he's utilizing in the fullest, he's been able to do. We love his response. We think it shows a lot of growth from him as a person, as a professional. ... I couldn't be happier with the way he's responded to that challenge from the coaching staff. I think more so he put it on himself to try to improve in those areas."
Drozg said that he felt that increased trust in him from the coaching staff.
"I think I made big steps (defensively)," he said. "Me and J.D. talked a lot about it. I think he was happy with my progress, and I feel the same way. I just have to keep getting better in the defensive zone and playing smart hockey, making smart decisions. The more I do that, the more ice time I get and J.D. trusts me more. Things were going in a good way last season."
Drozg said that he focused on getting stronger this summer, and that he's been seeing "the numbers in the gym" going up during his training. He was listed at 6 foot 2, 175 pounds last season, and says now that he's about 185 pounds.
I asked Drozg what his goals are entering this coming season.
"To make the best season ever," he said. "It's an important season for me. I hope it starts well with this tournament. After that is done, I put all my focus into North America. I'll try to make the best impression in camp. When the season starts, I'll do my best."
One of the reasons that this is an important season for Drozg is that it's the last year of his three-year entry-level contract.
"It's a little pressure," he said of being in a contract year. "But I'm not nervous about it. When I'm under pressure, I play better. So that'll be good for me."
