Some of you may remember that Team Czechia had an excellent run in last year’s iteration of the World Junior Championship, ultimately reaching the grand final. Unfortunately, a Connor Bedard-led Canada proved to be just a tad too difficult, and the pesky Canadians won the tournament in overtime.
The silver medal was a huge surprise for Team Czechia, especially when considering the country had been on a nearly 20 year long medal hiatus. Since the amicable split with Slovakia back in 1993, Czechia went on to win the tournament twice, around the turn of the millennium, and followed up with a third-place finish in 2005. Since then, it had been a seemingly endless parade of underachievements combined with a few recent near misses in 2018 and 2022.
This year’s version of Team Czechia will do their very best to replicate last year’s success. It could prove to be difficult though, as star players like David Jiříček, Stanislav Svozil, and Marcel Marcel have all aged out.
Preliminary roster
| Player | Position | League | Current team (NHL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Hrabal | G | NCAA | UMass (ARI) |
| Michael Schnattinger | G | Czechia U20 | Bili Tygri Liberec U20 |
| Jakub Vondraš | G | OHL | Sudbury Wolves (CAR) |
| Marek Alscher | D | WHL | Portland Winterhawks (FLA) |
| Aleš Čech | D | Czechia | BK Mladá Boleslav |
| Tomáš Cibulka | D | QMJHL | Val-d’Or Foreurs |
| Tomáš Galvas | D | Czechia | Bílí Tygři Liberec (2024) |
| Tomas Hamara | D | OHL | Brantford Bulldogs (OTT) |
| Adam Jiříček | D | Czechia | HC Plzeň (2024) |
| Matteo Kočí | D | WHL | Kamloops Blazers |
| Vojtěch Port | D | WHL | Edmonton Oil Kings (ANA) |
| Adam Bareš | F | Liiga | Pelicans |
| Ondřej Becher | F | NCAA | Prince George Cougars |
| Jakub Hujer | F | QMJHL | Rimouski Océanic |
| Jiří Kulich | F | AHL | Rochester Americans (BUF) |
| Matej Mastalirsky | F | Czechia | HC Litvínov |
| Matyáš Melovský | F | QMJHL | Baie-Comeau Drakkar |
| Matěj Přibyl | F | Czechia | HC Vítkovice |
| Sebastian Redlich | F | J20 Nationell | Södertälje SK J20 |
| Dominik Rymon | F | WHL | Everett Silvertips |
| Eduard Šalé | F | OHL | Barrie Colts (SEA) |
| Robin Sapoušek | F | WHL | Victoria Royals |
| Matyáš Šapovaliv | F | OHL | Saginaw Spirit (VGK) |
| Šimon Slavíček | F | OHL | Flint Firebirds |
| Jakub Štancl | F | SHL | Växjö Lakers |
| Adam Židlický | F | OHL | Mississauga Steelheads |
2023 tournament returnees in bold
Strengths
This is not a star-studded roster. In fact, if Czechia wants to make a run, it will come down to the collective effort, combined with a goaltender who finds the form of his life during this two-week spell. Michael Hrabal was highly coveted during the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and should get the majority of the starts in net. He at least has the potential of being a top-tier goaltender for the Czechs. A major perk with Hrabal is his size, which means that he basically fills out the entire net just by being there.
With Jiříček gone and few others of future NHL potential, some burden will fall on David’s younger brother Adam, who plays his first U20 WJC, and who’s expected to be a first-round selection come June 2024.
Up front, it will be up to Jiří Kulich to be the spider in the centre of the web. Kulich has had a tendency to find his spark during the holidays, and have produced a total of 17 points during his two previous WJCs.
If he, like last year, can get some assistance from Seattle draftee Eduard Šalé, there will at least be hope for something more than just being one of the top eight.
Weaknesses
The top quality may be there, in terms of Kulich and a few others. The question is whether the depth is good enough to challenge the two North American and Scandinavian sides. Another question mark should be made for first-year head coach Patrik Augusta. Since last year’s silver run, former head coach Radim Rulík has moved on to (hopefully) bring success to the senior team. Augusta is no spring chicken. During the previous four seasons, he has been running the show for Extraliga’s HC Bílí Tygři Liberec.
Covid season was obviously suspended. In 2020-21, Augusta took his team to the final where they, unfortunately, lost in six games to current powerhouse HC Oceláři Třinec.
In the most recent two seasons, Augusta has not made it past the quarterfinals. Did he accept this job because he knew that his message had gotten stale with the Bílí Tygři Liberec? Is he still hungry for success? Will he be able to propel a lacklustre roster to be greater than the sum of its parts? There are questions here which have yet to be answered.
Projection
There is always a Norway in these tournaments. Team Czechia will, just as per usual, win at least one game during the four-game group stage. The lack of adequate competition in the group stage is disheartening, but it’s certainly not the Czechs’ fault. After beating Norway, you are qualified for a quarter-final. And there, you suddenly only need one more win to qualify for a couple of medal-round games. If Czechia can beat either Slovakia or Switzerland, and thereby avoid a quarter-final encounter with those pesky Canadians, there is always a chance to have one of those perfect nights where you could knock out a Sweden, a Finland, or a side from Germany.
Most likely, though, is the scenario where Team Czechia will fall back down into the abyss and continue to be an eternal quarter-final punching bag for The Big Four.
