First of all not having Vrana is a gigantic loss yes. But... Is it really that bad guys?
Pastrnak was never going to play anyways and Vrana is only one guy. I think he(Vrana) would of been more of an asset than Pastrnak actually but it doesnt matter anymore.
I disagree to say that this team is not a medal contending team. Look at what Slovakia did last year! Yes, the overall competition is greater this time around, but our team is still way better then in previous years!
I like how Joey16 said that Jakub Petr could be our trump card. ABSOLUTELY. Coaching goes a long way. And Petr won a bronze medal with the 96's in U-18's and back to back silvers with the 97's. He knows these guys and the players know him. There's respect there. Something that was non-existent with Prerost. And it really does/will make a difference.
Honestly if everyone stays healthy from now on we still have a big chance to get something out of this tournament.
If this years team had Prerost coaching, then i would have little to no faith in them.
But with Petr it changes everything. Just think about all the bad decisions Prerost made last year!!! Cutting some of our best players from the beginning, playing the ones he kept very little minutes(Kostalek,Masin), and made very little changes when things didnt go well!! Like the powerplay!! He single handedly ruined that teams shot at winning a medal in every possible way.
Now this years team is much more experienced and the older players(96's) are more talented then in years past. Offense is much better, Defense is much better, as well as goaltending(amazing depth).
So what are we worried about? Seriously.
Oh and Zboril isnt the only good defenseman. Dominik Masin is better. Boy can he ever play. I watched him live not too long ago, as i live in Ottawa, and his team came to play us. check out his plus/minus rating compared to the rest of his terrible team.
http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/stats/show/type/skaters/ls_season/54/ls_team/6
Number 1 rating on the team above even all the forwards with a +14. next best defenseman is a +4. Thats a very underrated statistic.
Great vision, Puck moving ability, skating, and extremely defensively responsible. (obviously)
Conclusion: Jakub Petr trumps Jakub Vrana. Team is still loaded with talent. Actually most talented team we've ever had. Masin is our MVP.