Robin Sapousek’s silver medal from the 2023 world junior hockey championship sits rather unceremoniously among his personal items in his new billet-home bedroom in Victoria. But its meaning can’t be measured by its temporary location. It will one day have a more prominent displaying at his home in the spa town Karlovy Vary, Czechia.
The medal’s current home is all part of Sapousek’s whirwind journey from his hometown Karlovy Vary across the Atlantic to Halifax for the world junior tournament and then cross-country to the Pacific Ocean of Canada and the Victoria Royals.
“It’s been a roller-coaster but I was able to get some rest this week,” said Sapousek.
He will make his WHL debut for the Royals Friday night against the Kelowna Rockets at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
“It was sad we lost the world junior championship gold medal to Canada but I believe we would have won if the overtime period was five-on-five instead of three-on-three,” said Sapousek.
While that’s not a sentiment most Royals fans would agree with on the international level, they have to like their new forward’s feisty attitude as he sets his sights on the club level in Victoria.
The left-shooting centre was taken seventh overall by the Royals in the 2022 Canadian Hockey League import draft. The six-foot-one, 18-year-old began this season in his homeland with Karlovy Vary HC U-20 and scored nine goals with 18 points in 11 games to earn a seven-game call-up to the pro HC Energie Karlovy Vary club of the Czech Extraliga.
“Playing against pro men with bigger bodies and faster speed was harder but I learned about their tactics,” said Sapousek, in halting, but more than passable English.
He has also learned at the youth international level where his trajectory has been steadily upward. Sapousek did not dress in Czechia’s opening game at the world juniors but worked his way up to 13th forward and then to the third line with appearances on the first line and power play as a projected leader for the 2024 Czechia world junior team.
Sapousek also played for Czechia in the 2022 world U-18 championship in Germany, where he competed against now Royals teammates Brayden Schuurman and Kalem Parker in beating Canada in overtime in group play, and in the 2021 U-18 Hlinka-Gretzky tournament as this rising Czechia youth brigade placed fourth. Each time in those tournaments, Sapousek was part of the Czech line tasked with guarding Canadian prodigy Connor Bedard.
“I am prideful of being a two-way forward,” said Sapousek.
That said, Sapousek added: “Bedard is a very good player and was hard to defend.”
An all-round athlete who was youth national Czech level in two sports, Sapousek had to decide between pursuing hockey or tennis: “It was a hard decision.”
He also played basketball and soccer and said he is aware that the Memorial Centre is the building in which Czechia recorded its upset victories over Canada and Greece to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in basketball.
“Now I am in this building,” he said.
And the Royals couldn’t be happier.
Sapousek said his favourite athletes are Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and Golden State Warriors basketball star Stephen Curry. Off the ice he likes “listening to American rap.”
When he declared for the 2022 CHL import draft, Sapousek knew he could go to any community from the Maritimes to the West Coast. Still, it was an eye-popper when he looked up Victoria on a map. He had been selected by the CHL team furthest from his hometown.
“I am really far from home,” he said.
But the Royals hope to make it home sweet home as Sapousek is expected to provide a critical infusion in Victoria’s push for a playoff berth. That continues Friday and Saturday against the Rockets, who currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, five points ahead of the ninth-place Royals with two games in hand.
