Czechs release roster for WEHT December: Kristyna Kaltounková to play first official national team games since 2020-21 season.

Czechia has released its roster for the upcoming leg of the Women’s Euro Hockey Tour that will take place in Tampere, Finland, from December 11-16. The tournament will feature Canada, Czechia, hosts Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

The Czechs have juggled their roster significantly from the last WEHT stop in Södertälje, Sweden in November. PWHL players Daniela Pejšová and Aneta Tejralová will remain in North America, their spots filled by youngsters Eliška Hotová and Andrea Trnková. The most intriguing inclusion, however, is that of Colgate University star forward Kristýna Kaltounková.

Kaltounková, currently completing her fifth and final year at Colgate, has a tantilizing offensive resumé, having tallied over 50 points in each of her last three NCAA seasons. Last year, she scored 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) in only 36 games, and boasted a career best +33. In 16 games this season, she sits third in NCAA scoring with 25 points, behind only Wisconsin stars Casey O’Brien and Laila Edwards.

Despite her scoring prowess, Kaltounková has not suited up for the Czech national team since the 2020-2021 season. “Kalty” has been known to rack up penalty minutes at almost the same rate as she scores points. In 2022-23, when the forward from Vlasım, Czechia, finished fifth overall in NCAA scoring with 57 points, she also had 61 penalty minutes, more than the top four scorers combined. In January of this year, Kaltounková was mysteriously suspended for four games, first two by the ECAC and then two additional games by Colgate’s staff. Neither the team nor Kaltounková commented on the reason behind the suspensions, noting only that she, “took some time away from the team."

Certainly, part of what makes Kaltounková special is that she plays with a chip on her shoulder — she is talented, skilled, powerful and a bit mean, at least on the ice. Off the ice, the graduate student’s chosen vocation is a caring one: teaching. In what little free time she has between school and hockey, she also helps coach young female players. She is a player who wears her heart on her sleeve, and at only 22 years old, likely still has her best years of hockey ahead of her. 

Fans can watch Kristyna Kaltounkova’s long-awaited return to the national team when Czechia faces Canada on December 12 in Tampere.