The calendar year of 2015 is less than six weeks old, but it's already paid dividends for youngsters Christian Jaros and Peter Cehlarik. The pair were members of Slovakia's bronze-winning team at the World Junior Championship, then won the Champions Hockey League title with Lulea Hockey. The following day, they joined the Slovakian senior national team, where they won the Slovakia Cup at home. 

At 5:30 on the morning of Wednesday, 4 February, Lulea was cold and dark, as it is for most of the winter, and 18-year-old Christian Jaros stood conspicuously in the lineup at Lulea Airport – hockey bag in tow, sticks in hand and gold medal around his neck – to check in for a flight to Stockholm. Less than seven hours earlier, he had just helped Lulea Hockey win the Champions Hockey League Final, and he was now on his way to Banska Bystrica, Slovakia to make his debut for the Slovakian national team.

“Where's Cehlarik?” I asked, referring to Jaros's 19-year-old teammate, Peter, who was also due to play in the same tournament.

“His flight isn't until 1 pm,” Jaros said enviously. But despite the lack of sleep, life was looking pretty good for the young defenceman.

His presence didn't only catch the attention of a nosy reporter, but also an airport employee who was, just like seemingly everybody in Lulea, a hockey fan.

“I went to bed after the second period because I had to work at 5:00, but I turned on the television in bed and I was so happy to see you came back,” the man said with a big smile on his face, as he examined Jaros's new piece of jewellery. “How much sleep did you get?” he then inquired, with the smile suddenly changing to a look of concern.

For Jaros, as well as the still-sleeping Cehlarik, this type of notoriety might be something new, but it's also something they might have to get used to.

Both players – Slovaks who moved to northern Sweden in their mid-teens to further their hockey careers – have had quite an eventful start to 2015.

When the calendar year began, Cehlarik and Jaros were in Canada, representing Slovakia at the IIHF World Junior Championship. In their first game of the calendar year, 2 January in Montreal, they beat their biggest rivals, the Czech Republic, 3–0 – Cehlarik scored the second Slovak goal with just 5:42 remaining, giving them a stranglehold lead. Three days later, they were bronze medallists after a 4–2 win over Sweden.

In the tournament, Cehlarik had two goals and one assist and was tied for second in team scoring. Jaros had one assist and, at +2, had the best plus-minus on the Slovak team. They were two solid performers on an overall great team effort.

“I feel that here at the WJC our main strength is being strong as a team, helping one another, and not having one or two stars that we focus on. That's how we're able to win,” Cehlarik said in the aftermath of the medal win.

At the time, the first leg of Lulea's CHL Semi-Final series with local rival Skelleftea AIK was only eight days away, and the Boston Bruins prospect also shared his feelings about playing in the SHL and Champions Hockey League. “It is a big experience for me, playing for Lulea both in the Swedish league and CHL. I've had ups and downs, both good games and bad games, but I feel that I am getting better and more confident in various game situations. To play in these leagues helps me a lot.”

Jaros, who to that point has split the season between Lulea's pro and junior teams, was called up to the big club after the international experience. He's stayed there ever since.

In a tight series, Cehlarik assisted on the winning goal by Jan Sandstrom on the power play, late in the second period of the second game. In the one-game final against Frolunda Gothenburg on 3 February, Cehlarik scored on the power play to tie the score 2–2. That was part of a four-goal third period for Lulea, as they overcame a two-goal deficit to win by a 4–2 count.

“Our power play hadn't worked the whole game but it came alive at the right time,” Cehlarik said after the game. Describing his goal, he said, “It was a good cross-ice pass from our defenceman (Marcus Faggerud) and I just tried to one-time it. Luckily it went in.”

When asked whether the bronze medal from the World Juniors or the CHL title was better – an unfair question to be sure, but one that was asked nonetheless – he properly answered, “I don't know, it's difficult to compare the two. They're both great experiences.”

About the whirlwind season he'd had to that point, Jaros told Slovak media agency SVT, “It's all happened so quickly. In the summer I went to Washington, then to the World Junior Championship and we got the bronze medal. Suddenly, I was up on Lulea's A-team and now I have the (CHL) gold.

“I thought that I would play in junior and I might get the occasional chance to play with the first team. I didn't expect to get this far. Now I'll continue to work at getting even better.”

The accomplishments of both young Slovaks didn't go unnoticed by Slovak national team coach Vladimir Vujtech, who selected both to play with Team Slovakia at home in the Slovakia Cup.

On making his national team debut, which would begin with a very early wake-up call the following morning, Jaros said, “I look forward to meeting new people, teammates, friends and see how it all turns out.”

It all turned out pretty well, as Slovakia won both games they played against Switzerland and Germany to win the Slovakia Cup – the third feathers in the caps of the young Slovak duo this year. The good news for Jaros and Cehlarik is 2015 has more than 10 months to go.