Team Czechia revealed its 2026 world junior roster, and it includes Seattle Kraken prospect Jakub Fibigr, a defenseman who will participate in this tournament for the second consecutive season.
Seattle Kraken defensive prospect Jakub Fibigr has been named to Team Czechia's World Junior Championship roster.
The 19-year-old will be returning for his second tournament after recording five assists in seven games at last year's event. Fibirgr played a pivotal role in Czechia's bronze medal triumph, and he'll once again be a trusted defenseman on a team that could compete for a medal in 2026.
The Kraken's 2024 seventh-round pick (202nd overall) is enjoying a strong start to his OHL season. In his third campaign with the Brampton Steelheads, Fibigr has scored eight goals and 24 points in 28 games, on pace to beat his career highs in goals, assists and points.
Czechia has a strong defense core. Their blueline features two first-round picks, St. Louis Blues' Adam Jiricek and Buffalo Sabres' Radim Mrtka. It also features NHL-drafted prospects Max Pšenička and Vashek Blanár.
Their team features eight returnees and 14 draftees. Up front, their forward group includes Chicago Blackhawks 2025 first-round pick Václav Nestrašil, Minnesota Wild and OHL standout Adam Benák and projected 2026 first-round pick Adam Novotný.
Czechia has become a real threat in the last five years to win a medal, and they'll once again be a difficult out for all the favourites. If they continue to trend in the right direction, they'll work their way into the top tier of teams, which features Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland.
Defensemen (9):
Vladimír Dravecký (Brantford, OHL)
Adam Jiříček (Brantford, OHL / St. Louis)
Jakub Fibigr (Brampton, OHL / Seattle Kraken)
Tomáš Galvas (Liberec), Matyáš Man (Prince Albert, WHL)
Radim Mrtka (Seattle, WHL / Buffalo)
Max Pšenička (Portland, WHL / Utah Mammoth)
Jakub Vaněček (Tri-City Storm, WHL)
Vashek Blanár (HV71 Jönköping, SWE / Boston Bruins)
Forwards (14):
Adam Benák (Brantford, OHL / Minnesota Wild)
Maxmilian Curran (Edmonton, WHL / Colorado Avalanche)
Adam Jecho (Edmonton, WHL / St. Louis)
Vojtěch Čihař (Karlovy Vary / Los Angeles Kings)
Samuel Drančák (Red Deer, WHL)
Štěpán Hoch (České Budějovice / Utah)
Jiří Klíma (Shawinigan, QMJHL)
Matěj Kubiesa (Třinec)
Václav Nestrašil (Univ. of Massachusetts, NCAA / Chicago Blackhawks)
Adam Novotný (Peterborough, OHL)
Tomáš Poletín (Kelowna, WHL / New York Islanders)
Petr Sikora (Třinec / Washington)
Adam Titlbach (Vancouver, WHL)
Richard Žemlička (SaiPa Lappeenranta, FIN)
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.