Eight returning bronze medalists and 14 NHL-drafted players anchor a strong Czech roster in preparation for the IIHF World Junior Championship.
The Czech Ice Hockey Association released a list of 26 players on Wednesday that it will bring to a training camp in Benmidji, Minn., this December, ahead of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
The list includes 18 players based in North America and eight based in Europe – the latter group were all involved in the Five Nations Tournament in Slovakia in November, where the Czechs went 3-1 and finished second behind Sweden.
Of the 26 players, 14 have been drafted by NHL teams – including first-round picks Adam Jiříček, Radim Mrtka and Václav Nestrašil – and eight are returnees from last year’s team that finished third in Ottawa. The only eligible returnee that wasn’t named is Ondřej Kos, a St. Louis Blues prospect who has yet to play a game this season.
“I have been in communication with him and he is on the reserve list, but he hasn’t played since Augusta and is just starting to practise,” Czech national junior team Patrik Augusta said about Kos.
Goaltender Jakub Milota, a Nashville Predators prospect, hasn’t played since Oct. 18 but Augusta is optimistic about his recovery from a lower-body injury.
“Jakub is training and, according to the latest reports, everything looks good for him, but before the club can release him, we are waiting for the results of his MRI, which he underwent on Tuesday,” Augusta said. “I consider it more of a formality. He feels good.”
One player not selected was 17-year-old center Petr Tomek, who has 11 points in 27 Extraliga games this season with Energie Karlovy Vary and had four points in four games at the Five Nations Tournament.
“Petr was honestly the hardest choice,”Augusta admitted. “We sat there for a long time. He could have been a player who could go as the 15th (forward), but I evaluated it in such a way that instead of dragging him to a 12-day training camp at his age and then sending him home, it would be much better if he continued and played in Vary.
“Typologically, he is an offensive weapon, he is excellent on power plays, but I think we have better players in that position at the moment. Honestly, if something were to happen, he would probably be our first choice.”
Augusta mentioned Jiříček, Kuba Fibigr, Tomáš Galvas and Petr Sikora as players that could wear letters, stating, “We will be contacting these players and asking them for feedback on the team.”
This is the third straight year that Augusta – who had short stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals as a player – will be behind the Czech bench at the World Juniors. His team went home with bronze medals each of the last two times.
“It’s really hard to compare,” he said about the teams. “The comparison I made is that it's a bit younger and in a year's time there could be two more players going to the championship. It's really important that those who have been with us show the younger ones what needs to be done in key moments of the games.
“Of course, you also need a lot of luck and everything has to come together, but I believe that this team knows how to win, which was important for me to find out over the summer,” the coach continued. “Even in games where the players made a few mistakes, they suddenly kicked it up a notch and went for it. We’ll be up against teams of the highest quality here, but I’m really looking forward to it. I think it’ll be a great tournament, and we all just hope it ends well.”
The Czechs will play pre-tournament games in Benmidji against Latvia on Dec. 19 and Slovakia on Dec. 23 before naming their final roster. They open the tournament on Dec. 26 in Minneapolis against Canada. Other Group A teams include Denmark, Finland and Latvia.
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Goaltenders (3): Matyáš Mařík (České Budějovice), Michal Oršulák (Prince Albert, WHL), Jakub Milota (Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL / Nashville).
Defensemen (9): Vladimír Dravecký (Brantford, OHL), Adam Jiříček (Brantford, OHL / St. Louis), Jakub Fibigr (Brampton, OHL / Seattle Kraken), Tomáš Galvas (Liberec), Matyáš Man (Prince Albert, WHL), Radim Mrtka (Seattle, WHL / Buffalo), Max Pšenička (Portland, WHL / Utah Mammoth), Jakub Vaněček (Tri-City Storm, WHL), Vashek Blanár (HV71 Jönköping, SWE / Boston Bruins).
Forwards (14): Adam Benák (Brantford, OHL / Minnesota Wild), Maxmilian Curran (Edmonton, WHL / Colorado Avalanche), Adam Jecho (Edmonton, WHL / St. Louis), Vojtěch Čihař (Karlovy Vary / Los Angeles Kings), Samuel Drančák (Red Deer, WHL), Štěpán Hoch (České Budějovice / Utah), Jiří Klíma (Shawinigan, QMJHL), Matěj Kubiesa (Třinec), Václav Nestrašil (Univ. of Massachusetts, NCAA / Chicago Blackhawks), Adam Novotný (Peterborough, OHL), Tomáš Poletín (Kelowna, WHL / New York Islanders), Petr Sikora (Třinec / Washington), Adam Titlbach (Vancouver, WHL), Richard Žemlička (SaiPa Lappeenranta, FIN).
Reserves:
Goaltenders: Adam Ebenstreit (Slavia Prague), Ondřej Štěbeták (Portland, WHL), Tobiáš Tvrzník (Wenatchee, WHL), Tobias Trejbal (Youngstown, USHL). Defensemen: Marek Chaloupka (Pardubice), Pavel Průšek (Třinec), Tomáš Malínek (Lethbridge, WHL), Ondřej Ruml (Ottawa, OHL). Forwards: Petr Tomek (Karlovy Vary), Danny Chludil (Kometa Brno), Oskar Lisler (Kladno), Ondřej Kos (Ilves Tampere, FIN), Samuel Karol Jung (Kärpät Oulu, FIN), Marek Daníček (Newfoundland, QMJHL), Matouš Jan Kucharčík (Youngstown, USHL).
Team Staff:
Manager: Otakar Černý. Head Coach: Patrik Augusta. Assistant Coaches: Robert Reichel, Pavel Trnka. Goaltending Coach: Martin Láska.
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