Veterans Dominik Kubalík and Roman Červenka lead a Czech squad fighting for Olympic roster spots in the final Euro Hockey Tour evaluation.
The Euro Hockey Tour makes its second stop of the season this week and it holds special significance: It will be the last chance for its four participants – Czechia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland – to evaluate European-based talent prior to naming their Olympic rosters.
To that end, the Czechs are taking a team to the Swiss Hockey Games that includes most of the best available talent to them. Two notable exceptions are defenseman Michal Kempný and forward Filip Zadina, who are both injured.
“I think that’s because everyone knows that many players from Europe have a chance to get to the Olympics – they want to fight for their opportunity,” said Czech head coach Radim Rulík. “There’s also great communication with the clubs. They don’t want to prevent players from earning a place on the team. It’s a great calling card for them too.”
On defense, where Rulík believes the Czechs are thinnest, players such as Jan Rutta, Jakub Krejčík and Libor Zábranský might have a shot to earn a spot. Up front, Dominik Kubalík, Ondřej Kaše, Lukáš Rousek and Lukáš Sedlák all have their eyes on Olympic spots. So does Roman Červenka, who has 33 points in 22 Extraliga games despite turning 40 on Wednesday.
Czechs have lots of options for 2026 Olympics
It's often difficult to know what to expect from the Czechs, who can produce wildly different results depending on which players are in their lineup. They surely have some elite talent and then a lot of rather mediocre depth players on both sides of the Atlantic that almost seem interchangeable. For that reason, predicting their roster is a bit of a guessing game. If Radim Rulík remains head coach through the 2026 Winter Olympics, he might stick with the team that gelled very nicely at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and won gold on home ice, especially with the Olympics on a wider European ice surface.
“His form is good,” Rulík said about the veteran Czech national team captain. “I spoke to Roman in November. We agreed that he would not go to the first event, and I told him my plans for the Olympics. I hope his health holds up – that’s the only thing that could threaten him.”
The Czechs will start the tournament at home in Liberec on Thursday against Finland before flying to Zurich, where they’ll face host Switzerland on Saturday and Sweden on Sunday.
Czech roster for the Euro Hockey Tour
Goaltenders: Dominik Pavlát (Ilves Tampere, FIN), Nick Malík (HC Škoda Plzeň), Jan Kavan (HC Kometa Brno).
Defensemen: Daniel Gazda (HC Dynamo Pardubice), Jakub Krejčík (HC Sparta Prague), Jan Ščotka, Libor Zábranský, Filip Král (all HC Kometa Brno), Jan Rutta (Geneve-Servette, SUI), Marian Adámek (HC Oceláři Třinec), Jiří Ticháček (Kärpät Oulu, FIN), Radek Kučeřík (Ilves Tampere, FIN), Filip Pyrochta (BK Mladá Boleslav).
Forwards: Ondřej Beránek (HC Energie Karlovy Vary), Roman Červenka, Jáchym Kondelík, Lukáš Sedlák (all HC Dynamo Pardubice), Filip Chlapík, Pavel Kousal, Michael Špaček (all HC Sparta Prague), Dominik Kubalík, Daniel Voženílek (both EV Zug, SUI), Jakub Flek (HC Kometa Brno), Lukáš Rousek (HV71 Jönköping, SWE), Ondřej Kaše (HC VERVA Litvínov), Petr Kodýtek (IFK Helsinki, FIN), Matyáš Kantner (Kärpät Oulu, FIN), Matěj Stránský (HC Davos, SUI).
Ex-Oiler Jesse Puljujärvi Headlines Finland’s EHT Roster
Finland has announced its roster for the
second Euro Hockey Tour tournament of the year. These tournaments bring
together the top players from Europe, featuring Sweden, Finland, Czechia, and
Switzerland. Finland’s roster is led by former <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers">Edmonton Oilers</a> forward Jesse
Puljujärvi. See the full Finnish roster below.
Tournament Schedule
Thursday, December 11, 2025
18:30 CET / 12:30 PM EST – Czechia vs. Finland (in Liberec, CZE)
19:45 CET / 1:45 PM EST – Sweden vs. Switzerland
Saturday, December 13, 2025
14:00 CET / 8:00 AM EST – Finland vs. Sweden
18:00 CET / 2:00 PM EST – Switzerland vs. Czechia
Sunday, December 14, 2025
11:45 CET / 5:45 AM EST – Sweden vs. Czechia
15:45 CET / 9:45 AM EST – Switzerland vs. Finland
Preds Prospect Felix Nilsson Named to Sweden’s EHT Roster
Team Sweden has announced its roster for the Euro Hockey Tour tournament in Switzerland, featuring several returning veterans and Nashville Predators prospect Felix Nilsson’s senior debut.