ST. LOUIS — Like Colton Parayko, Blues forward Vladimir Sobotka is moving straight from the Stanley Cup playoffs to international competition.
The Blues announced Wednesday that Sobotka will join Team Czech Republic at the 2017 IIHF World Championships in Cologne, Germany, and Paris, France. Team Czech Republic is 2-1 in Group B and will play Team Norway on Thursday.
Sobotka, 29, is taking another step in a journey that has seen him play a lot of hockey over the last year. He represented the Czech Republic at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in the fall, then played his third season with Omsk Avangard of the Kontinental Hockey League.