2023-05-15 22:23:49
RIGA, Latvia – Kevin Fiala did not take the shortest route to the 2023 IIHF World Championship.
His flight from Los Angeles took him to Riga via Zurich.
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But it was above all his lower body injury that delayed his entry into the international tournament with Switzerland.
“It’s a great feeling to be back here,” the Los Angeles Kings forward said Monday. I had some tough decisions to make in the last few weeks due to my injury. I’m excited to reunite with the guys and be part of this group again. They got off to a good start. I just want to try to help them win more games. »
Fiala’s injury plagued him late in the regular season and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He missed 13 of the last 16 games of the season between March 11 and April 13, then he sat out the first three games of the playoffs.
He returned for Game 4 of the opening round series against the Edmonton Oilers and had six points (one goal, five assists) before the Kings were shown the exit door in Game 6 , April 29.
“I struggled with a difficult injury. there is never good timing for the injuries, but I got injured just with the playoffs,” said Fiala, who is on his fifth appearance at the World Championship, a first since 2019. “I was sidelined for a while , and I missed a few playoff games. I was happy to come back. Just finished rehab, wanted to make sure everything was in order.
“We had to be 100 percent certain that everything was cured. That’s why I arrived a little later (to Riga). I’m really happy that everything went well during my rehabilitation. »
Despite the early elimination in the playoffs, Fiala’s first season in Los Angeles was a success. He has 72 points (23 goals, 49 assists) in 69 games, after setting a career-high 85 points (33 goals, 52 assists) in 2021-22 with the Minnesota Wild.
Fiala was acquired from the Wild on June 28 in return for a first-round pick (19th in 2022) and the rights to the defenseman Brock Faber. He then signed a seven-year contract worth $55.125 million with the Kings.
“It was a new team and a new challenge for me,” said Fiala. I am very satisfied overall. Unfortunately, we were eliminated far too soon. It’s never easy to arrive in a new team, you have to play well from the start. I think I’ve done a good job of that. My teammates supported me well from the start. The entire organization is first class.
“So it was relatively easy for me. »
Video: EDM@LAK, #6: Fiala levels the mark in AN
Fiala, who joined Switzerland late, just like Nico Hischier et Jonas Siegenthaler of the New Jersey Devils, found a way to extend his season at the World Championship. To the delight of his teammates.
“He’s extremely talented,” praised the Switzerland captain and Winnipeg Jets forward Nino Niederreiter. He is super fast. He’s an elite player. In the last two or three years, he’s taken his game to a whole new level. He belongs to the elite of the NHL and he deserves it. He is a very talented player. »
The goal now is to take Switzerland to another level.
“We are good friends, we played together in the junior ranks,” said the Swiss striker Denis Malgin, who spent last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche. “It will be fun to play with him. He is a very good guy on the ice and off the ice. It’s gonna be fun. He’s so talented, he’s fast, and he can make plays. It’s always good to be able to count on such a player. »
Switzerland won silver at the World Championship in 2013 and 2018, but finished fifth in 2022.
Fiala admitted his goal is to help his compatriots rise to the top.
“Switzerland is not a very big country. We haven’t reached our goal yet, he said. It’s always good to represent Switzerland. We are such a small group.
“We really like playing for our country. »
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