Former Victoria Grizzlies centre to captain Slovakia at 2026 World Juniors
Published 12:30 pm Tuesday, December 23, 2025
It was just seven months ago that Tobias Pitka scored the equalizer for the Victoria Grizzlies in Game 5 of the Coastal Conference finals against the Chilliwack Chiefs. Now, the 19-year-old will lead the Slovakian national team at the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championships, beginning Dec. 26.
Pitka spent two seasons with the Grizzlies from 2023 to 2025, playing 87 regular-season games, scoring 20 goals and adding 37 assists for 57 points.
He was a key piece in Victoria’s aforementioned playoff run, contributing 12 points in 17 games as the Grizzlies reached the Coastal Conference finals for the first time in nearly a decade.
“We’re extremely happy for Tobias. He was a big part of our run in the playoffs last year and he’s gotten off to such a great start with Northern Michigan this year. It’s nice to see him get rewarded for it,” Grizzlies president David Michaud told the Goldstream Gazette.
At 6’4” and 225 pounds, Pitka brought size and a physical edge to the Grizzlies’ lineup, qualities that helped him earn an NCAA Division I scholarship with Northern Michigan University.
As a freshman with the Wildcats this season, he has three goals and three assists for six points in 14 games.
“The BCHL has become a stepping stone for a lot of players. Not only to reach their goal of playing college hockey, but also international hockey as well,” Michaud said. “Whenever a player like Tobias has success, it shows a pathway for other players that coming to Victoria can get you where you wanna go.”
Internationally, Pitka has represented Slovakia at nearly every age group and was selected to the Slovak World Junior squad last year, though he did not see game action.
This year, Pitka and the Slovaks played two pre-tournament games, beating Latvia 3-1, a game in which Pitka scored, before falling 2-1 to Czechia.
“It was a very good team performance. They came at us in the first period, maybe because they had already played their first game, and for us this was the first game,” Pitka said in a post-game interview after their win against Latvia. “Even though we conceded the first goal, we didn’t give up. On the contrary, we improved our performance with every substitution and we made it to the winning end.”
Slovakia is in Group A with tournament host U.S.A., along with Switzerland, Sweden and Germany.
The top four teams in the group advance to the knockout stage on Jan. 2. Last year, Slovakia finished third in their group before falling 5‑3 to Finland in the quarter-finals.
Pitka is the fourth Grizzlies alumnus in six years to skate at the World Juniors. Alex Newhook represented Canada in 2021, Matthew Wood skated for Canada in 2024, and Richard Baran suited up for Slovakia in 2025.
His selection as team captain is more than just a letter. Several recent Slovak World Junior captains have gone on to the NHL, including Dalibor Dvorsky of the St. Louis Blues, who wore the C last year, Simon Nemec of the New Jersey Devils in 2023, and Martin Fehervary of the Washington Capitals in 2019.
Slovakia will aim for their first medal since 2015, as they open their tournament against Sweden on Dec. 26 at 10 a.m.