Chicago Blackhawks prospect Radovan Bondra will represent Slovakia at the 2016 World Junior Championships.
Bondra, 18, is one of three Hawks prospects in the Canadian Hockey League this season. The winger has seven goals and nine assists in 30 games for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. He was a fifth-round pick in the 2015 NHL draft.
The 6-foot-5, 218-pound winger was scoreless in seven games during the 2015 tournament. Slovakia beat Sweden, 4-2, to win bronze in the 2015 tournament. Slovakia also won bronze in 1999, and has never played in the tournament’s gold medal game.
The 2016 WJC will be held in Helsinki, Finland, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2016. Slovakia opens its tournament play against Czech Republic at 6 a.m. Saturday. Bondra will play fellow Hawks’ prospect Joni Tuulola and Finland on Dec. 30 in Group B play.
Nick Schmaltz (USA) and Gustav Forsling (Sweden) will also compete in the tournament.