Predicting a 2025 Team Czechia World Cup of Hockey Roster

Adam Proteau predicts the roster for Team Czechia if the NHL and NHLPA move ahead with an international competition in 2025.

The NHL’s recent announcement that it's working to stage a World Cup of Hockey style of tournament in February of 2025 means that gives us less than 18 months until the event takes place. Long before that, the countries involved must work with the NHL and NHL Players' Association to put together rosters for the tournament.

With the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the NHL and NHLPA must address the potential ramifications for the next World Cup by taking an approach that’s worked to deal with Russian players in other sports – namely, the decision to assemble a Russian team without using Russia’s name or flag. 

With that in mind, we’ve been moving ahead with roster predictions for a 2025 World Cup – late last week, we posted our picks for Canada’s roster. Saturday, we projected the American team’s roster. Sunday, we posted a projected Russian lineup. Monday, we looked at what Team Sweden’s roster will likely look like, and on Tuesday, we analyzed Team Finland. Today, we finish things off with a look at the Czechia team.

When looking at our projections, bear in mind there’ll be changes to each team’s roster, as injuries and competitive changes will create opportunities for some and take them away from others. But the makeup of the teams will be straightforward – the most skilled players will be the ones representing their nations.

Goalies: Karel Vejmelka, Vitek Vanecek, David Rittich

Other options in goal: Jiri Patera, Pavel Francouz, Dan Vladar

Defense: Filip Hronek (RD), David Jiricek (RD), Jan Rutta (RD), Radko Gudas (RD), Jakub Zboril (LD), Libor Hajek (LD), Radim Simek (LD), Filip Kral (LD)

Other options on defense: Stanislav Svozil (LD)

Forward: Martin Necas (C), Tomas Hertl (C), Filip Chytil (C), David Kampf (C), David Pastrnak (RW), Filip Zadina (RW), Pavel Zacha (RW), Martin Kaut (RW), Jakub Vrana (LW), Dominik Kubalik (LW), Ondrej Palat (LW), Radek Faksa (LW)

Other options at forward: Jakub Voracek (LW), David Krejci (C), Ondrej Kase (RW), Lukas Sedlak (LW), Tomas Nosek (C), Jaromir Jagr (RW)

Team Czechia does have some superstars to depend on for World Cup action – Pastrnak is one of the sport’s top wingers, and Hertl and Necas are above-average centers – but the Czechs simply don’t have enough depth at all positions to make them a favorite at the next best-on-best tournament. 

The lack of depth is particularly notable on Czechia’s defense corps. They indeed have young up-and-comers, including Jiricek, but veterans, including Gudas and Rutta, aren’t elite D-men by any stretch of the imagination. 

In net, Vejmelka and Vanecek have played well for long stretches of time, but expecting either of them to be among the best netminders at any World Cup is a bridge too far. 

The Czechs finished the 2016 World Cup sixth out of eight teams, one better spot than Team USA, and to be honest, we could see them finish no better than that in 2025. Upsets can happen at any level, but speaking realistically, it’s unfair to project Czechia as a squad in a good place to outperform expectations. 

They have a few veterans who are legends in the country – namely, Jagr, Krejci and Voracek – but all three of those players aren’t likely to be healthy enough or young enough to do significant damage less than two years from now. The next generation of talent could push Czechia up the pecking order of hockey nations, but as it stands, they’re not going to be in a position to overwhelm much deeper, more skilled opponents.