Lulea Hockey defenceman Christian Jaros is playing in his first IIHF World Championship right now, and he was in a good mood following his team's second win and his first goal for the Slovakian national team.

by Derek O'Brien

SAINT PETERSBURG – The last time we spoke to Christian Jaros, back in February 2015, he had just won the Champions Hockey League Final as a member of Lulea Hockey and was on his way to play his first games for the Slovak national team, still two months shy of his 19th birthday. Fast forward 15 months and the now 20-year-old defenceman is coming off his first full season as a professional and is playing in his first World Championship. In his second game, Sunday night against France, he scored his first international goal.

“It feels pretty good,” he said after the game. “I really enjoyed the moment on the ice, but then I slid into the boards and the play continued, so I was afraid they weren't going to count the goal. But I knew it hit the camera, not the crossbar.”

Indeed, his shot went in and out of the net so quickly that is was originally not seen by the referee. However, after a few nervous seconds, the whistle blew and the goal was awarded. Jaros has joined the rush shortly after coming out of the penalty box for the third time in the game.

“You never want to take three penalties in a game, but sometimes it happens. There's not much more I can say about that.”

Jaros's goal came in the dying minutes of his team's 4–1 victory. Adding that to a win by the same score over Hungary, the Slovaks are now perfect with six points after two games. However, they know that the best teams in Group B are still to come. 

“We feel pretty good right now, but there's still a long way to go. Tomorrow we get a rest and then we have to focus on the rest of the games.”

At 192 cm and 91 kg, Jaros is known more for his physical play than his scoring. With Lulea Hockey, he has yet to score a goal in 50 SHL regular-season games, 10 playoff games, or 9 CHL games. He has, however, recorded 9 assists and 73 penalty minutes with the northern Swedish club. 

“I think it went pretty well there,” he said of his first full season as a pro. “I started with Asploven in the Allsvenskan, then I went up to the SHL. I played there the rest of the season and we lost in the quarter-finals. I think overall it went well for me and now I have the opportunity to play here.”

Jaros still has one more year on his contract with Lulea, so that means one more year at least in the north of Sweden. And then?

“It's hard to say. As I said I still have another year on my contract and then we'll see. I would like the chance to play in North America eventually.”

Jaros, a 5th round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2015, isn't heading to North America this summer, but his best friend on the team, winger Peter Cehlarik, is. The pair has been inseparable the past three seasons, both with Lulea and the Slovak national team, and Celharik is even in Russia at his first World Championship as well, although he's yet to play his first game. With the absence of the Boston Bruins draft pick, the 2016–17 season will be different in at least one way for Jaros. 

“We've lived together three years in Sweden, so he'll miss me next year,” he joked. “He'll cry himself to sleep every night.”

Preparations for next year are only about two months away, with the first meaningful games being the CHL Group Stage starting in late August. Lulea will face SaiPa Lappeenranta and Eisbaren Berlin in Group I.

Click HERE to read the story on Jaros and Cehlarik published in February 2015.