Tomas Galvas may have been passed by in the NHL draft twice, but the Czechia defender is once again showing why he deserves to be selected by an NHL team as he dominates junior hockey's biggest stage.
Two years ago, Tomas Galvas made his World Junior Championship debut as a first-time NHL draft-eligible blueliner.
He was a promising puck-mover and a very skilled player with the puck. His defensive game was uneven, but he showed some really solid instincts and defensive positioning, using his skating to cut plays off and turn things around.
Galvas showed flashes of brilliance in transition, and despite a lower role in the lineup, he made things happen offensively. He averaged about 16 minutes a game at the world juniors that year, helping the Czech squad capture a bronze medal.
The reports coming out of the tournament were positive about Galvas' game, but one thing stood out to spook scouts and analysts alike – his size.
At the time of the draft, Galvas was listed at 5-foot-9 and 148 pounds. A defender that size is rarely drafted at all. Only three NHL defensemen were drafted and listed under six-foot in 2024 – Cole Hutson (5-foot-11), Victor Johansson (5-foot-11) and Aron Kiviharju (5-foot-10).
That left Galvas on the outside looking in, despite playing and succeeding at the Czech men's level.
Last year, we saw him take on an even more prominent role for the Czech U-20 squad at the world juniors and, again, succeed in the Czech Extraliga, but when June came around, his name went uncalled for a second straight draft.
Each time Galvas has gone undrafted, he's returned to Czechia to work on his game, address his deficiencies and develop into a better overall player. His defensive game has become much more consistent, and his decision-making with the puck has become more efficient and risk-averse.
Galvas is once again stepping up his game at the Czech men's level. He's put up 11 points in 19 games while gaining more defensive responsibility and a more well-rounded overall game. Standing 5-foot-10 and 168 pounds now, he's found ways to leverage his size and take advantage of the mobility that he possesses to mitigate the impact of his size.
Fast forward to today, and Galvas is representing Czechia for a third and final time at the World Junior Championship, playing a significant role on the back end with over 20 minutes of ice time in each of their three games thus far. He's looking to help Czechia improve on the back-to-back bronze medals he's won with them, while also supporting the nation in its pursuit of its first-ever four-year medal run at the tournament.
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With nearly every team having played three games at the world juniors, Galvas sits tied for second in tournament scoring, with six points. The undersized, undrafted blueliner who continues to face questions about his size despite consistently showing his growth on tape at both ends of the ice has been great. Galvas is averaging two points per game.
It's not like Galvas has beaten up on the lesser competition in the group stage to the point. He's played Canada and Finland, the group's other two big threats, and he's played a significant role in both games.
Against Canada, Galvas assisted on the 4-4 tying goal and then scored the goal to bring them within one late in the game. He played a game-high nine minutes in the third period while Czechia fought to get back into the game and pushed Canada to their limits. Galvas was a factor throughout the game for Czechia.
In his most recent game, Galvas set up Czechia's lone goal in regulation with some excellent vision before driving the net to drive defenders and the goalie back. He was terrific throughout the game defensively as well, cutting attackers off at the blueline and forcing play to the outside.
Galvas has two goals and four assists through three games at this year’s world juniors, and the conversation of whether he should be drafted has risen back to the surface.
Galvas' offensive skill remains a strong point in his game, showcasing excellent puckhandling and passing. The puckhandling he's known for is still high-level, with deceptive mobility that lets him shake opposing players through the neutral zone or along the offensive blueline. He's still on the small side, and his lack of physicality, at least in the traditional sense, is an area of concern for scouts.
In other words, not much has changed. The same positives are prevalent in his game, while the concerning traits persist. What could be the differentiating factor for Galvas' path to hearing his name called at the draft this June as a 20-year-old is that he has now proven, over a long period of time, that he's not only able to handle himself against men but that his game has grown immensely.
There is no guarantee that NHL teams look at Galvas and decide that he's now worth the pick he wasn't a year or two prior. His track record is deeper, though, and he's shown the ability to be a game-breaker on one of the biggest stages of an under-20 player's life, the World Junior Championship.
If Galvas continues to sit among the tournament leading scorers and helps Czechia to yet another medal while possibly finding a way to improve on the two bronze he has in his trophy case, there will be plenty of reason to believe that a team takes a late round flyer on one of the most skilled junior-aged defensemen in the world at the moment, size be damned.
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