Korean ice hockey to kick off Euro challenge

Canadian goaltender Matt Dalton, center, is key member of the 22-man squad that will represent Korea at the 2014-15 Euro Ice Hockey Challenge next month. / Courtesy of Korea Ice Hockey Association

By Nam Hyun-woo

Jim Paek, national hockey team coach

Korea's national men's ice hockey team confirmed 22-man squad and will kick off its campaign for the 2014-15 Euro Ice Hockey Challenge tournament, with new players and former Stanley Cup champ Jim Paek on the coaching post.

The world 23rd ranked Koreans will fly to Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 4, to take on world No. 19 Hungary on Nov. 7, No. 18 Italy on Nov. 8 and No. 24 Poland on Nov. 9, the Korea Ice Hockey Association (KIHA) said Monday.

The games will be the debut stage of Paek, two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992 and returned his mother country this summer to coach its sluggish national ice hockey team ahead of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics on home soil.

In a bid to overhaul the team, Paek called up unfamiliar faces to his squad, especially for the critical goalie position, which is the weak point for the Korean national team at international stages.

He invited Canadian goaltender Matt Dalton as a "guest player." The KIHA said the 28-year-old seeks to represent Korea after acquiring dual-citizenship.

Dalton played in the Kontinental Hockey League, the second largest ice hockey league behind the NHL, during the past three seasons and now plays for Anyang Halla, showing outstanding performance of 1.69 goals against average in 14 Asia League Ice Hockey games.

Paek also called up rookie Park Kye-hoon, 22, of Korea University who displayed solid defense during a match against Yonsei University on Oct. 10.

The Euro Ice Hockey Challenge is a yearly series of national ice hockey tournaments held between the international breaks defined by the International Ice Hockey Federation. This is the second break of the 2014-15 season. Other countries including France, Austria, Slovenia and Norway will join the tournament in Slovenia and Norway.

Not only European nations but also Asian teams including Japan and Korea occasionally participate into the tournament.

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