If you haven’t been paying attention, Czechia has had a bit of a hockey revival in recent years.

Czechia has been so close to winning gold at the past two Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournaments, including on home ice back in 2023. This past May, David Pastrnak and Martin Necas joined the men’s national team late to help them win gold for the first time since 2010 – again, on home ice.

And at the World Juniors, Czechia is riding a three-year streak of making it to the medal round. They shocked the world by beating the United States to get to the bronze medal game in 2022, only to fall short to Sweden. They took Canada to overtime in the title match in 2023 before snagging bronze in the most unlikely way in Sweden last year.

So, while the Czechs are still chasing WJC gold for the first time since 2001 – way before any player this year was even born – you can never count them out these days.

But can they keep the medal streak alive in 2025? Many Czech experts aren’t convinced.

Looking Back to 2024

An opening day loss to Slovakia forced Czechia to play a bit on the backburner in Group B last year. They bounced back with a huge win over Norway, and they stole a point against the United States in the shootout, but that loss essentially prevented the Czechs from being a real threat for second in the group.

They ultimately finished third, meaning they’d meet up with Canada for a rematch of the 2023 gold medal game in the quarterfinal – one many expected Canada to win again. Instead, the Czechs shut Canada down and won 3-2, securing their spot in the semifinals for the third year in a row. Czechia struggled and lost 5-2 to Sweden, putting them back in the bronze medal game just like in 2022.

At one point, the Czechs looked out of it, trailing 5-3 against Finland heading into the third period. But in one of the most wild comebacks in World Junior history, the Czechs scored five consecutive goals in the third period to win the game 8-5 – stunning a Finnish team that showed a bit of a cocky attitude at points throughout the game.

Goaltenders

*Michael Hrabal (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Michael Hrabal (Utah HC) is the clear No. 1 for the Czechs for a second consecutive year – but, hopefully, it goes better than it did last season. Hrabal had a good season up to that point with UMass in the NCAA, but seemingly played some of his worst hockey of the year at the World Juniors. He struggled against Slovakia in the opener, had an ugly game against the Swedes in the quarterfinal and was pulled after allowing two goals on three shots just 7:43 into the bronze medal game, forcing Jakub Vondras to play catchup. Hrabal needed to be better, simple as that. He struggled with shots from a distance and his glove hand seemed to let him down.

But this year, Hrabal has decent numbers again with UMass and was great in his two U-20 national team starts earlier in the year. When the 6-foot-6 goaltender is dialed in, Hrabal is excellent. They just need that expert-level goaltending a bit more consistently when it matters.

Jan Kavan and Jakub Milota will split the backup duties. Kavan is the older goalie, a 2005-born keeper who was Hrabal’s backup at the 2023 U-18s. He’s also been the busiest goaltender for the Czechs internationally this season, with mixed results. Milota, meanwhile, has plenty of experience as a starter with his 2006-born age group and should contend for the starter’s gig in 2026.

This is Hrabal’s net to lose – but we did see what happened when he lost it last year. For the Czechs’ sake, they need the star goalie prospect to dominate in the way many know he’s capable of.

Defensemen

*Tomas Galvas (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

The Czechs won’t have Dominik Badinka, a recent NHL draft pick and. 2025 NHL Draft prospect Radim Mrtka didn’t get the call as a 2007-born defender, either.

Adam Jiříček (St. Louis Blues) is the player most will be looking to keep an eye on. An injury shortened his draft season to just 19 games with HC Plzen last year and he hasn’t played since Nov. 6 this year with another injury. So the Czechs will hope that Jiříček is up to speed, but he simply just hasn’t played a ton of hockey the past two years.

One of the bigger draws will be Los Angeles Kings prospect Jakub Dvořák, who is currently lacing it up with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. The Reign are a good team, and Dvořák’s ice time has suffered at points, but he’s a 6-foot-4 defender who has plenty of international experience and will play a big role for this squad.

Vojtěch Port isn’t going to put up many points, but he’ll hold his own defensively. The Anaheim Ducks prospect has been peppered in WHL action all year long, winning just four of the 25 games he has skated in between Moose Jaw and Lethbridge. Port is a defensive-minded blueliner who loves to take space away, and while he isn’t particularly big, Port can be difficult to push around. Look for him to get a lot of ice time.

The only other NHL-drafted defender is Jakub Fibigr, a seventh-round pick by the Seattle Kraken last summer. Overall, it feels like his game has taken a step back with the Brampton Steelheads this year. There have been plenty of times when I’ve found myself searching for him on the ice – he just isn’t having the same impact with or without the puck that we saw a year ago. This tournament could be an opportunity for Fibigr to get things back on the right track – and it helps that he’s familiar with North American ice.

Beyond that, Tomáš Galvas typically has looked good with the Czechs and has been excellent with the U-20 team this year, in particular. He’s a returning defender, which helps – and he’ll want to prove teams wrong for passing him over at the draft last year. I also don’t mind Matteo Kočí, who can be a difficult defender to beat in 1-on-1 situations. He might not be an all-around threat, but he’s a returning player who can shut guys down.

But, seriously, not having Jiricek or Badinka is going to hurt. This group just isn’t dynamic enough at the point to handle some high-quality competition. But now that we think of it… last year’s blueline wasn’t overly inspiring, either, and they turned out to be just fine.

Forwards

*Miroslav Holinka (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

The Czechs won’t have Jiri Kulich to rely on – instead, Eduard Šalé will be the one worth keeping a close eye on this year. At the time of writing this, it’s not 100 percent that Šalé will be sent by the Seattle Kraken to the tourney – he’s cooking in the AHL with Coachella Valley – but he is on the initial roster. If he does go, Šalé will be counted on to be a leader in his third tournament showing. The winger has 13 points in 14 games over two years, and while inconsistency can plague him at points, he’s still the best the team has up front.

One player garnering a ton of attention this year (partly because of who drafted him) is Miroslav Holinka. He earned some praise during Toronto Maple Leafs development camp over the summer and proceeded to play some solid hockey in U-20 exhibition action, too. Holinka is hovering around just under a point per game with the Edmonton Oil Kings, and while he has had some stretches of nothing to show for on the scoresheet, he does seem to be getting a bit more comfortable.

Speaking of the Oil Kings, keep an eye on Adam Jecho. The St. Louis Blues prospect is a 6-foot-5 power forward who loves to control the puck. He doesn’t need to use his size to crush guys – instead, he plays with finesse and skill in open ice. And he’s an excellent skater, too. After what felt like a decade of watching him perform well at the U-18 level, it’s time for Jecho to make his mark at the World Juniors.

Sticking out west, look for Jakub Stancl (St. Louis Blues) and Dominik Petr to have notable roles too. Stancl has good size at 6-foot-3, and he’s very impressive in Kelowna this year. Petr is an undrafted 6-foot-2 forward, but I like that he’s defensively responsible and is a decent playmaker, too. Playing on North American ice should help prepare him for an event like this.

Think we were done with the Blues‘ prospects? Not a chance. Ondrej Kos is a two-way, 6-foot-2 forward who missed some time in November with an injury, but has recently returned to Liiga action with Ilves. Ice time has been tough to come by, but he has looked great for the Czechs in U-20 action already this year. Look for him to play a middle-six role.

One 2006-born forward to watch is Petr Sikora. The Washington Capitals prospect is a good 200-foot player who isn’t flashy, but he’s aggressive and fast. I suspect that he’ll challenge for a top-six role for the Czechs, but he can play anywhere the team needs him, really – and he’s been excellent at the U-20 level this year. I also really like Adam Zidlicky, who has been a big bright spot with the Brampton Steelheads this year. I don’t think anyone works harder than he does.

There might not be a more fascinating prospect on this team than Adam Novotný, though. Novotný is a 2026 NHL Draft prospect who is already playing against men in the top Czech league. He has been one of the best U-18 national team players this season and looked good with the U-20 outfit a few weeks back, too. I think Novotny has the skill and hockey sense to be a first-round pick next season – and it doesn’t hurt that he’s got some real muscle and a beautiful shot, too.

2025 NHL Draft

After watching Vojtěch Čihař up close at the Hlinka, I’m intrigued. He didn’t produce much, but he’s a smart forward who can play with just about anyone. He’s a strong winger who has put up solid numbers in the top Czech league and looked really good in recent U-20 national team action, too. Čihař might not get much playing time, but he seems like a forward they can throw anywhere in the lineup and get results.

Among overage prospects, I do wonder if Galvas gets teams talking. Sure, he might be on the small side at 5-foot-10, but he’s a great skater and plays a solid two-way game. I also think he’s incredibly smart, too, which doesn’t hurt.

Projection

On paper, this feels like a Czech team that could have easily dismantled the groups we saw from about 2005 until the COVID-19 pandemic. There might not be a true game-breaker with Kulich gone – although Sale might be the closest to that, assuming he does indeed play – but there’s some real talent this year. The Czechs might have the edge over Slovakia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan in Group B, meaning their battle with the Swedes will be the one that could end up deciding who wins Group B. But finishing second in the quarterfinal means having to likely deal with one of Canada, USA and Finland – that’s where things could fall apart. Granted, we have seen the Czechs outwork more skilled opponents in recent years, but they might need some magic on their side to make it happen again this year.

Round-Robin Schedule

Dec. 26 vs. Switzerland: 5:00 PM ET
Dec. 28 vs. Kazakhstan: 1:00 PM ET
Dec. 29 vs. Slovakia: 5:00 PM ET
Dec. 31 vs. Sweden: 5:00 PM ET

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