At the midpoint of the 2024-25 Euro Hockey Tour, the Czechs have five wins and a loss for 15 points and a four-point lead over Finland as they get ready for the third leg this weekend in Stockholm, Sweden. They will host the final leg in late April, just before the start of the IIHF World Championship.
Read Switzerland's roster here.
In contrast with the first two stops on the tour, which included the likes of Dominik Kubalík, Jiří Smejkal, Roman Červenka and Martin Kaut, this one is somewhat lacking in star power, with six players making their senior international debuts. One of them is 19-year-old center Vojtěch Hradec, a Utah HC prospect who impressed at this year’s World Junior Championship with eight points in seven games.
“It will be a huge leap for him,” coach Radim Rulík said about Hradec. “He plays on the second line in Mladá Boleslav, around 19 or 20 minutes per game. He’s a young player, extremely hardworking, big and a decent skater. He has taken a huge step forward.”
The roster includes another Utah prospect, 27-year-old Josef Kořenář in goal, as well as ex-NHLers Jakub Zbořil, Libor Hájek, Radim Zohorna and Kristián Reichel. The original roster had David Kaše and Filip Zadina, but both players have withdrawn their availability for reasons that were not disclosed.
Goaltenders:
Josef Kořenář (HC Sparta Prague), Dominik Pavlát (Ilves Tampere, FIN).
Defensemen:
Libor Hájek, Jakub Zbořil (both HC Dynamo Pardubice), Tomáš Cibulka (Banes Motor České Budějovice), Jakub Galvas (Malmö Redhawks, SWE), Ronald Knot (IFK Helsinki, FIN), Jan Košťálek (HC VÍTKOVICE RIDERA), Radek Kučeřík (Porin Ässät, FIN), Filip Pyrochta (BK Mladá Boleslav), Jiří Ticháček (Rytíři Kladno), Libor Zábranský (HC Kometa Brno).
Forwards:
Filip Chlapík, Pavel Kousal (both HC Sparta Prague), Petr Koblasa (HC VERVA Litvínov), Petr Fridrich, Michal Kunc (both HC Olomouc), Matyáš Filip (Rytíři Kladno), Luboš Horký (Pelicans Lahti, FIN), Matyáš Kantner (KalPa, FIN), Petr Kodýtek (IFK Helsinky, FIN), Radan Lenc (HV71, SWE), Filip Přikryl (Banes Motor České Budějovice), Kristián Reichel (Adler Mannheim, GER), Radim Zohorna (HC Lugano, SUI), Vojtěch Hradec (BK Mladá Boleslav), Oscar Flynn (Bílí Tygři Liberec).
GM: Jiří Šlégr.
Head Coach: Radim Rulík.
Assistant Coaches: Marek Židlický, Jiří Kalous, Tomáš Plekanec.
Goaltending Coach: Ondřej Pavelec.