2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey: Top standouts as Czechia eliminates Denmark
It wasn’t easy for the pre-game favorites, but Czechia has moved on to the quarterfinals after beating Denmark 3-2 on Tuesday in qualification-round action.
The Czechs will take on Canada at 8:10 AM ET on Wednesday, with the winner moving on to Friday’s semifinal.
The first period didn’t have much to write home about, with neither team making many high-quality plays. That all changed at 25:39, when Martin Necas’ quick wrister made it 1-0. Alexander True scored at 29:02 to tie the game up, only for David Kampf and Roman Cervenka to score at 30:15 and 31:24, respectively, to make it 3-1.
But the Danes weren’t done. While they struggled to sustain much pressure, they’d get a goal out of Nick Olesen at 37:12 to make it a one-goal game again. That seemed to give them some momentum heading into the third period, but despite their best efforts, it wasn’t enough to pull off the upset.
Here is a look at the top performers from the qualification fight:
Czechia
#17 Filip Hronek, D (Vancouver Canucks): Hronek was relied on heavily late in this game as the Danes started to ramp up the pressure. Hronek had an assist in this one, and made some other good plays to get the puck out of the zone under pressure. His play in Vancouver has been criticized at times, but it feels like we’ve seen him at his best throughout this tournament. He is easily the team’s most dynamic defenseman.
#44 Jan Rutta, D: Rutta was injured in the opening game against Canada and didn’t play again in the round-robin. But today, he came flying out of a cannon, taking two quality shots in the first period before setting up Kampf’s second-period goal. Rutta isn’t known for his high-end puck movement, but his NHL experience has come in a bit today as he seemed more engaged than we’re used to seeing. Defensively, he was solid, as well.
#19 Jakub Flek, LW: Flek didn’t play a ton while patrolling the fourth line, but he still had four shots and seemed to do a lot around the net. That line isn’t exactly known for its high-end offense, but Flek is a good energy guy who always seems to be looking for opportunities to steal pucks. I hadn’t noticed him much before today but thought he looked effective, for the most part.
#98 Martin Necas, RW (Colorado Avalanche): Necas has been Czechia’s best player all tournament long, and it’s not close. He scored the opening goal tonight off a great shot and then assisted Kampf’s first of the tournament. Necas is a powerful shooter who can dominate a shift in a way very few on this Czech team can. His confidence has been second-to-none – he’ll pass it when he needs to, or rush it in when it’s the best play possible. Either way, teams have struggled to deal with him.
Denmark
#31 Frederik Andersen, G (Carolina Hurricanes): It doesn’t matter who it is – Danish goaltenders have always had to be busy, and often come out looking good. Andersen allowed a goal on his first shot against in the tournament and never seemed comfortable in the prior loss to Germany. Andersen was great against Latvia and even better today, fighting off a Czech attack that grew a bit more desperate in the second half. Andersen is one of the older goalies in the tournament, but he still moves very well and played better the busier he got. Without him holding the fort early on, the Danes weren’t going to stick around.
#11 Alexander True, C: That shot that made it 1-1 was a goal-scorer’s goal. He loves hovering around the crease and looking for opportunities to capitalize. He’s a good two-way guy who can be inconsistent at times, but his chemistry with Joachim Blichfeld was impressive. He’s huge, and while he’s not the world’s best skater, he makes up for it by overpowering opponents.
#86 Joachim Blichfeld, RW: Blichfeld had a pair of assists and nearly scored a few times himself in the second period. He’s a skilled forward who couldn’t make it work in the NHL, but has been highly productive in Europe. He’s one of the smarter puck distributors, often looking for linemates to set up on the rush. Denmark’s tournament is over, but Blichfeld looked solid overall.
#95 Nick Olesen, LW: If you didn’t know Olesen before this year, now you do. His low-up internationally has been remarkable. He didn’t produce much internationally for years. Before 2025, he never had more than three points at a World Championship. Last year? 12 points, and now he has four goals in four games for the Czechs. With Oliver Bjorkstrand being completely invisible on the scoresheet, it’s been good to see Olesen pick up the slack.
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