Red Wings’ Filip Zadina to play for Czech Republic at world juniors

Czech Republic forward Filip Zadina celebrates a goal against Canada at the 2018 world juniors. (Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP)

The Czech Republic will get a big boost at the World Junior Hockey Championship as Filip Zadina‘s agent has confirmed he will play in this year’s tournament.

Darren Ferris, Zadina’s agent, told Helene St. James of The Detroit Free Press that his client will play for the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, in a game on Wednesday before reporting to the Czech Republic national team.

The tournament begins Dec. 26 in Vancouver and Victoria.

Zadina’s status for the tournament was in doubt after he suffered a groin/hamstring injury in the Griffins’ 5-4 shootout win over the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday. He missed Sunday’s game against the Rockford IceHogs, but Ferris told St. James the injury was minor and wouldn’t prohibit the 19-year-old winger from representing his country.

The Red Wings took Zadina sixth-overall in June’s NHL Draft. This season with the Griffins he has eight goals and 17 points in 28 games.

Zadina made headlines at last year’s world juniors when he scored seven goals in seven games to lead the Czechs to a fourth-place finish.

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