Slovakia and Ukraine are central European neighbours which share a nearly 100-kilometre border between them.
A pair of hockey players from those neighbouring nations are looking forward to meeting in person as members of the North Bay Battalion.
Ihnat Pazii. a late 2006 birth year forward from Ukraine, and Alex Cajkovic a 2005 birth year defender from Slovakia were selected by the North Bay Battalion in the 2023 CHL Import Draft which took place online on Wednesday.
"We are from very close countries, we are neighbours basically so definitely he will be the first guy I talk to when I get to Canada," Cajkovic said about Pazii.
"Maybe we will end up living with each other, you never know," continued Cajkovic, who speaks English fluently.
"Slovakia and Ukraine have similar cultures so I can't wait to see everyone and get to meet everyone, it will be fun," added Pazii who is also fluent in English.
The Battalion, who initially held the 55th overall selection in the CHL wide event, moved up to 48th due to other team's passing on their selection, to select Pazii who has been playing hockey in the United States for the past two seasons.
In 30 games with the Windy City Storm 16U AAA based out of Chicago, the Kharkov, Ukraine product scored 17 goals and earned 17 assists for 34 points. He added four goals and two assists for six points in four playoff games.
Adam Dennis, Battalion general manager says the 5'9", 150 pound forward just makes you smile as you watch him play.
“He has such passion for the game. He’s relentless on the puck. He’s always trying to find ways to get open," Dennis said about Pazii after the two-round selection.
Pazii, who goes by the nickname "Iggy", says he models his game after Sidney Crosby.
"Crosby is such a role model for everyone, he is a great defensive zone centre and he is great in the offensive zone too, so I kind of want to be like him," said Pazii with a smile during a media Zoom call on Wednesday afternoon.
Cajkovic, taken 72nd overall in the two-round process conducted over the Internet, played last season with the Malmo Redhawks J18 team in Sweden, scoring five goals and adding 11 assists for 16 points in 31 games. He had two assists in a total of 11 games with the Slovakian under-18 team.
Cajkovic, who has also spent time playing hockey in Austria says likes to jump into the rush from the back end.
He models his game after skilled defenseman like Erik Karlsson and Rasmus Dahlin.
"Growing up I was always watching Erik Karlsson but nowadays it's Rasmus Dahlin, he is my top player who I compare myself to," said the confident Slovak defender.
However, Dennis says the Bratislava-born left shot defender, who stands six feet and weighs 178 pounds and turns 18 on July 19, caught his eye with his overall play.
"Alex is a high IQ player that excels at both ends of the ice with his mix of skill and smarts," said Dennis.
Dennis is hoping the new import recruits can help fill the void left by the departure of skilled star forward Matvey Petrov and gritty defender Alexander Lukin. Petrov is expected to stick with the Oilers or play in the AHL with their farm team in Bakersfield, while Lukin has opted to stay in Russia and play junior closer to home.
“They are both highly intelligent, highly skilled, so I do expect them both to (make the) transition quite quickly,” added Dennis about Pazii and Cajkovic.
“We’re excited about both guys. They come in with a lot of eligibility and a lot of new circumstances. They’re highly skilled guys who can contribute, and we’re also going to give them time to acclimatize.”
Both will be hoping to make an impact when Battalion main camp begins in North Bay in late August.
See a portion of Alex and Iggy's interview via zoom below:
Chat with Battalion 2023 Import pics from Chris Dawson on Vimeo.
