The Weekend Will Reveal Our Final Roster Decision, Says Michal Broulík

Preparations for the World Championship in Switzerland are nearing completion. The women's national team will hold their penultimate training camp in Čáslav this weekend, still working with a broader roster. Michal Broulík shares more details about the final preparations.

There Will Also Be Video Analysis; We Will Break It Down to Be as Prepared as Possible

The final preparations for the World Championship in Switzerland are approaching. The women’s national team has two camps planned. “We will focus entirely on the game system in all three zones of the rink, power plays, penalty kills, face-offs, and other elements. There will also be video analysis. We have footage from previous camps, and we will record more during the upcoming ones to break it down and prepare ourselves as best as possible,” reveals Michal Broulík, who will lead the team as they defend their silver medal from the last championship.

Before the final camps, the Women's League final tournament took place last weekend. Each team played three matches on Saturday to complete the regular season, followed by the playoffs the next day. “I arrived at the Women’s League final on Sunday and watched it through to the very end. Naturally, I observed the players—how they performed and how they looked in the game. I also spoke to some of them, but only to a limited extent because they were playing for their clubs, where their coach has specific expectations of them. No one would appreciate it if someone else discussed something different with their players, diverting their focus and attention,” acknowledges the head coach of the women's national team.

Since Last October, I’ve Attended More Game Days and Matches

The players' performances were monitored not only in this competition but also in matches against boys. “I wasn’t just at the Women’s League final; throughout May, I also attended several Youth Extraliga matches to see the girls in action against the boys,” explains Broulík about the long-term monitoring of the female players. “Since October last year, I’ve attended more game days and matches to see as many players on the field as possible before issuing the first roster. I wasn’t the only one; my colleague Vašek (Václav Tůma) also went to several games and watched from the stands,” mentions Michal Broulík, noting that his colleague from the coaching staff also took responsibility for observing the matches.

The final roster is not yet set, and the players will head to the next camp with a broader lineup. “The weekend will reveal our final decision. The roster isn’t closed yet, so some players will hear the unfortunate news that they won’t be traveling to Switzerland. These are always tough moments for both the coach and the players,” admits the national team coach, highlighting the difficulty of such decisions. “The details will make the difference, as at this stage of preparation, you already have a significantly narrowed roster from which anyone can go to the final event. I hope we make the right decision, but we will only know for sure after the World Championship because, as they say, hindsight is 20/20,” Broulík concludes.