Islanders prospect Tomáš Poletín ignites Czechia's World Juniors campaign, his second of the two tying the game early in the third period.
Kai Russell wrote this story.
Yet another New York Islanders prospect has scored at the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. In a preliminary game against Canada, forward Tomáš Poletín tallied Czechia’s first goal of the tournament off a netfront deflection.
With three minutes left in the first period, center Adam Benák tossed a point shot towards Canadian goaltender Carter George, who was being screened by Poletín.
The Czech winger then made an impressive redirection to knot the game at 1-1.
But Poletín wasn’t finished. With Czechia down 4-3 in the last frame, Poletín potted a rebound off the boards in a scramble:
Poletín was a fourth-round pick by the Islanders in 2025 and currently plays in the WHL. This is the forward’s first World Juniors.
Canadian defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson is the only Islanders prospect yet to get on the scoreboard in what’s been an impressive day for New York’s farm system.