This 14-year-old from Slovakia has taken over the women’s under-18 hockey championship

She’s only 14 years old, but Nela Lopušanová of Slovakia has just put herself on the radar of hockey fans all over the world.

The crafty forward was dominant at the women’s under-18 world hockey championships in Sweden over the past several days, scoring seven goals and three assists in four games as her team reached the quarterfinals before losing to Sweden. Not only was she leading the tournament in goals and points when her tournament came to an end on Thursday despite being three years younger than much of the competition, but the way she was scoring them was what has people calling her a superstar in the making.

Lopušanová went viral on social media after becoming the first woman to ever score a “Michigan” style goal at an IIHF tournament.

The highlight-reel move, where a player picks the puck up on their stick behind the net before wrapping it around and tucking it in the top corner, is far from the only trick up her sleeve. Days earlier, in her first game at the women’s under-18 worlds, Lopušanová undressed a Japanese defender by putting the puck through her legs before lifting it top corner over the goalie’s shoulder. It was one of two goals on the night. A day later, she scored a hat trick against Switzerland.

Playing up in age is nothing new for Lopušanová. The five-foot-seven, 146-pound forward recently played for Vlci Žilina in Slovakia on the top boys’ under-16 division, where she had 31 points in 10 games. She has also played six games in Extraliga, the top women’s league, where she’s scored 15 goals and 10 assists in just six games.

Lopušanová has also showcased her talents in Canada. Last summer, she played in Montreal at the women’s world ball hockey championships, leading her team with 10 points in seven games including the game-winning goal in Slovakia’s bronze medal victory over the U.S.

The 2023 women’s world hockey championship will be held in Brampton in April, but those hoping to catch a glimpse of Lopušanová will be disappointed. While she’ll be 15-years-old by the time the tournament rolls around — Adela Sapovalivova of Czechia was the youngest player at 16 in 2022 — Slovakia is ranked No. 15 in the world and did not qualify for the tournament.

With Lopušanová now in the mix, that should change in the future.

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