'It's Probably The Biggest Tournament In The Last Decade': Canucks David Kämpf Excited To Represent Czechia At The 2026 Winter Olympics

Representing your country at the Olympics is a special honour. For the first time in over a decade, NHL players will be headed to the Winter Olympics, making the men's tournament a true best-of-the-best matchup. Among the players hoping to return home with a medal is Vancouver Canucks center David Kämpf, who will represent Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Over his career, Kämpf has represented Czechia at every level. The only tournament he is missing from his resume is the Olympics, which he can now check off. As Kämpf explained, he found out in person that he would be headed to Italy to live out his Olympic dream. 

"I spoke with a coach," said Kämpf. "He came to some games. So I spoke with him after a game, and he told me that. So yeah, I was obviously happy. It's a big thing for us, and I'm happy to be there."

Czechia has won Gold at the Olympics before. Back in 1998, the then-Czech Republic defeated Russia in Nagano, Japan, to capture the historic medal. While Kämpf was very young at the time, he still remembers that team, which was led by Jaromír Jágr and Dominik Hašek and views that victory as one of his favourite Olympic memories. 

"I would say Nagano, and when we won the Gold Medal. So it was a big success for us and everyone. I was a kid in that year. So it was huge for us and the biggest inspiration. So hopefully we can do something similar this year."

As for the 2026 Winter Olympics, Kämpf and his teammates are ready for whatever challenges are thrown their way. The good news for Czechia is that the group has a history of playing together and recently picked up a Gold Medal at the 2024 World Championship. For Kämpf, he and his teammates are focused on adding another medal to their collections while also showcasing to the rest of the hockey world just how strong a unit they are. 

"It's probably the biggest tournament in the last decade. So yeah, it means a lot, especially after we won the Gold Medal two years ago at the World Championship. So we want to keep going and build on that. And we have a similar team there. So I think we hopefully have some chance to have some success."

Czechia begins its tournament on February 12, 2026, with a matchup against Canada. They will also play France and Switzerland before advancing past the group stage. Outside of Kämpf, other notable names on Czechia's roster include Filip Hronek, Martin Nečas, David Pastrnak, Tomas Hertl, Karel Vejmelka and Lukas Dostal. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

Canucks At The 2026 Winter Olympics: Lankinen And Finland Suffer Surprising Defeat, Pettersson And Sweden Notch First Victory 

‘He Will Play. You Know He’ll Play!’: Relive Canucks Broadcaster Jim Robson’s Best Calls

Two Former Canucks Named To CHL’s Top-50 Players Of The Last 50 Years

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.