The roster that the Czechs have brought to a
four-team summer tournament in Vierumäki,
Finland includes
10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams, including defenseman
Radim Mrtka, who as taken ninth overall by the Buffalo Sabres this
summer.
The
roster also includes defenseman Vladimír Dravecký and winger Adam
Novotný, both late-2007-born players who will be eligible to be
drafted for the first time in 2026. It does not include any 2008-born
players, such as winger Šimon
Katolický, who are still eligible to play U-18
hockey and are preparing for this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
The
Czechs lost their opening game on Sunday, 3-2 in overtime to Finland
A. They play Finland B on Monday. Then, after the Finns depart
overseas for the World Junior Summer Showcase, the Czechs and Swiss
will play two more head-to-head games in Finland before heading home.
Helenius & Hemming Highlight Finnish U-20 Roster In Home Tournament
Ahead of next week’s World
Junior Summer Challenge in Minnesota, a series of games involving
four U-20 teams is taking place in Vierumäki,
Finland
on Sunday and Monday. Two teams from Finland – essentially an
A-team and a B-team – will host the Czech and Swiss national junior
teams once each.
Goaltenders: Adam
Ebenstreit (Slavia Praha), Jakub Milota (Cape Breton,
QMJHL – Nashville
Predators), Ondřej
Štěbeták (Portland, WHL).
Defensemen:
Tomáš Galvas (Liberec), Martin
Švec (Pardubice), Pavel Průšek (Třinec), Jan
Skok (Škoda Plzeň), Marek Chaloupka, Matyáš
Man (both Vítkovice), Jakub
Fibigr (Brampton, OHL –
Seattle
Kraken), Max Pšenička (Portland, WHL
– Utah
Mammoth), Vladimír Dravecký (Rögle,
SWE), Radim Mrtka (Seattle, WHL –
Buffalo Sabres).
Forwards:
Štěpán Hoch (České
Budějovice – Utah Mammoth), Vojtěch
Čihař (Karlovy Vary – Los
Angeles Kings), Petr Sikora (Třinec –
Washington
Capitals), Matěj Kubiesa (Třinec), Adam
Novotný (Peterborough, OHL), Oskar Lisler (Kladno), Adam
Jecho (Edmonton, WHL – St.
Louis Blues), Ondřej Kos (Ilves Tampere, FIN –
St. Louis Blues), Vít Záhejský (Kamloops,
WHL), Tomáš Poletín (Pelicans Lahti, FIN – New
York Islanders), Václav Nestrašil (Muskegon,
USHL – Chicago
Blackhawks), Richard Žemlička (SaiPa
Lappeenranta, FIN), Jiří Klíma (Shawinigan, QMJHL), Adam
Titlbach (Vancouver, WHL), Samuel Drančák (Red
Deer, WHL).
Team Staff:
Manager: Otakar Černý. Head Coach: Patrik
Augusta. Assistant Coaches: Robert Reichel, Pavel
Trnka. Goaltending coach: Martin Láska.
Photo by Martin Voltr.
Czech Petr Sikora: “It’s A Charley Horse – I Got Hit In The Thigh” By BeaudoinWhile Canadian hockey fans suffered through a near-existential crisis on Thursday during Canada’s 4-3 loss to Czechia in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarterfinals, one of the outlets for their anger and frustration – in addition to referees, coaches and Hockey Canada itself – was Czech center Petr Sikora.
Czech Club Disappointed By Adam Novotný’s Decision To Go To OHL
Czech winger Adam Novotný, who turns 17 in
November, is currently projected by most sources to be a top-15 pick
in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Slovaks react to Vladimír Dravecký Jr playing for CzechiaWhen Czechia announced its 24-man roster for this summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup on Thursday, the player that received the most attention was 16-year-old Vladimír Dravecký Jr – a dual Czech-American citizen with Slovak parents who will be eligible for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
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