Czech center Petr Sikora will miss the remainder of the 2025 Extraliga playoffs with an injury, according to a social media post on Thursday from his club, Oceláři Třinec.

“Unfortunately, Petr Sikora will not play anymore in this year’s playoffs. An injured leg will not allow the young forward into the game,” the club posted on Facebook less than three hours before the start of Game 3 of its quarterfinal series against Sparta Prague.

After losing the first two games in Prague, Třinec won 3-2 on home ice to cut the series deficit to 2-1. Game 4 goes on Friday.

Třinec is the five-time reigning champion of the Czech Extraliga but finished 10th in this year’s regular season. The team affectionately known as the Steelers needed to win a play-in series to make the quarterfinals against first-place Sparta, making Třinec a huge underdog.

5 straight Czech titles for Třinec! Oceláři Třinec has won the title of the Czech Extraliga for an incredible fifth straight year, following a 2-1 double-overtime victory over Dynamo Pardubice. Třinec was stretched to the full seven games in all three rounds, with the last two both being decided in multiple overtimes on the road against the top league’s top two teams in the regular season.

Sikora had seven goals, eight assists, 61 penalty minutes and an even plus-minus rating in 34 regular-season games for Třinec and then four points in six post-season games against Litvínov and Sparta. He also had six points in eight Champions Hockey League games for Třinec this season.

Sikora was taken in the sixth round, 178th overall, by the Washington Capitals in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. However, his stock as a prospect has gone up this season after his solid rookie pro season with Třinec and his performance for Czechia at the IIHF World Junior Championship, where he recorded seven points in seven games and earned a bronze medal.

Sikora also earned some notoriety in Czechia’s 4-3 quarterfinal win over Canada. He opened the scoring just 43 seconds in, assisted on the game-winning power-play goal with 40 seconds remaining, and was accused of embellishing a hit by Cole Beaudoin — one that saw the Canadian expelled from the game for kneeing.

Sikora strongly rebuked the accusations.

“Oh my God, it’s a charley horse – I got hit in the thigh,” he said to Czech media after that game.

After walking up and down the tunnel, Sikora was able to return to the game against Canada but now, it seems that a more serious leg injury has ended his season.

Czech Petr Sikora: “It’s A Charley Horse – I Got Hit In The Thigh” By Beaudoin While 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.