2026 World Juniors Preview: Team Czechia looks ready to medal again
It wasn’t that long ago that you could pencil in the Czechs for a quarterfinal exit without hesitation. Now? They’re one of the top dogs once again.
The Czechs have been one of the hottest teams in international hockey recently, highlighted by their gold-medal win at the 2024 World Championship on home ice. The Czechs lack a genuine game-changing prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft, but the overall depth of their junior age groups over the past few years has been impressive to see.
Czechia looks bound to challenge for gold in Group B this year, so let’s break things down:
Looking Back to 2025
After taking silver in 2023 and bronze in 2024, the Czechs were hoping to keep their medal streak alive in Ottawa. They went 3-1 in Group B, with their lone loss coming against Sweden in the final round-robin contest. That set them up for a rematch against Canada, a team they lost to in the 2023 final but beat in the quarterfinal in 2024.
Fortunately for the Czechs, they’d meet a similar fate, stunning the Canadians on their home turf. The Czechs ultimately fell 4-1 to USA in the semifinal but took home bronze after a thrilling 3-2 shootout victory over Sweden. The win officially gave the Czechs their best medal streak in team history while showing that there was something sustainable brewing back home.
Goaltenders
The loss of Nashville Predators prospect Jakub Milota earlier this season was a difficult one. Fortunately, the Czechs have a handful of goalie prospects shining bright this year. That includes Michal Oršulák, who has been lights out with the Prince Albert Raiders. The 6-foot-4 keeper ended November just a single regulation loss, helping to push the Raiders high up in the standings. He doesn’t have a ton of international experience as a starter, but he’s the hot hand right now after a great first two months in Canada. He’s more than capable of taking over the starter’s gig if needed – which is good, given he’s also projected to be the starter in 2027.
Sticking in the WHL, Ondřej Štěbeták was a late addition after Milota was ruled out. Štěbeták has had an average season with the Portland Winterhawks, statistically, but he has been on a bit of a hot streak recently. Outside of major junior, Matyáš Mařík has plenty of experience with Czechia internationally but has never played in an official IIHF tournament. He has had a strong season against Czech U-20 competition and even has a handful of pro league games under his belt.
Defensemen
Fresh off his OHL defenseman of the month honor, Adam Jiříček (St. Louis Blues) looks to be a leading figure in his third and final WJC. He had an impressive five assists a year ago in a season that started off on the back burner due to injuries. He’s fully healthy now and is starting to live up to potential – look for Jiříček to play heavy minutes in a leading role for the Czechs.
Taken in the first round in 2025, Radim Mrtka (Buffalo Sabres) turned heads with his great showing at the Buffalo Prospects Challenge. He ultimately was sent down to the AHL before getting loaned back to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, for whom he’s been an important contributor. Mrtka has been one of the top defensemen in U-20 national team action, regardless of country, and he’ll see plenty of ice time in all situations.
Max Pšenička (Utah Mammoth) has played for the Czechs for four years now but has never represented the team in an official IIHF event. The 18-year-old is about to make his mark in a big way – especially at 6-foot-5. He’s known more for his physical and shutdown qualities, and Pšenička will be a perfect fit alongside a more offensively minded player like Jiříček or Mrtka. Tomáš Galvas, meanwhile, is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. At 5-foot-10, he’s been passed over twice in the NHL Draft despite putting up some solid performances both internationally and domestically.
For the rest of the crop, Jakub Fibigr (Seattle Kraken) has always been a personal favorite of mine on the Brampton Steelheads. He is playing some of his best hockey this season and was quite impressive at this event a year ago. Vashek Blanár (Boston Bruins) will give the Czechs yet another big body at 6-foot-5. The UMass commit won’t move the needle with the puck, but he’ll make your life miserable if you try and go head-to-head with him.
The crazy part? A good chunk of this group can return next year. Mrtka, Pšenička and Blanár, as well as 2026 draft prospects Vladimir Dravecký and Jakub Vaněček, are all eligible to return when the tournament heads to Alberta next year. That’s huge (in some cases, literally).
Forwards
While the Czechs don’t have a superstar forward by any means, their offense is well-balanced, powered by multiple players having career years. Václav Nestrašil (Chicago Blackhawks) is an absolute force, using his 6-foot-6 frame to routinely win battles in college. Seriously, he’s tracking for well north of 40 points as a freshman, and his play makeup is something we rarely see in a scoring role. Nestrašil didn’t represent Czechia at any event last year, but I liked him in the summer and fully expect him to be a play-driver at this event.
On the total opposite side of the size spectrum is Adam Benák (Minnesota Wild). The 5-foot-8 forward will likely go down as one of the best junior-aged point producers in Czech hockey history (he owns the Hlinka Gretzky Cup scoring title) and has been downright dominant in the OHL with Brantford. By all accounts, he’ll be leaned on as Czechia’s top playmaker, especially on the power play.
And that’s crucial – special teams will be critical at an event like this. The team has enough shooters that as long as someone with a strong hockey sense can make passes happen, they’ll be in good shape.
A returnee from 2025, Petr Sikora (Washington Capitals), will likely be the team’s No. 1 center. He had a point-per-game at this event last year and has been an offensive force throughout the U-20 campaign. His play in the top Czech league has been promising, and we’ll see if that momentum carries over.
A player receiving a lot of attention from the general public this year is winger Vojtěch Čihař (Los Angeles Kings). He’s one of Czechia’s fastest forwards, and he uses that to his advantage when chasing after pucks and forcing mistakes out of defenders. He has played decently well against men in the Czech league, but his WHL rights were recently acquired by the Kelowna Rockets (and it wasn’t a small return, either). Could we see him stick in North America once the tourney is over? Perhaps, but Czechia will be happy to use him on the top line in the meantime.
This forward group has a bit of everything. Skill? Adam Novotný has you covered (more on him later). Want another big body? Adam Jecho (St. Louis Blues) is set to cap off his junior national team career in style. Want a hot hand? Few have been as dangerous in the WHL as Max Curran (Colorado Avalanche). I also wouldn’t ignore Tomas Poletin (New York Islanders) or the undrafted Adam Titlbach – both have looked great internationally in the past.
2026 NHL Draft
Adam Novotný has absolutely come into his own in recent weeks with the Peterborough Petes, helping to keep him in the top 20 discussion. Novotný has consistently found ways to get high-volume opportunities on net. Novotný is clearly comfortable playing in North America, and I’d expect him to get better with more confidence. After playing a depth role in Ottawa last year, look for Novotný to be leaned upon – especially with how well he played for the U-20 team this past summer.
On defense, Vladimir Dravecký’s is going to be given some quality opportunities defensively. He played a significant number of minutes in the Swedish U-20 league last year and has continued to do so with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs, maintaining a point-per-game pace. He’s a hard worker who skates well and can move the puck, although his questionable decision-making under pressure will knock him down a few pegs on draft day. I think he needs some general refinement across the board, but his raw game is already quite impressive.
There’s plenty of quality defenders to go around, so ice time could be difficult for Jakub Vaněček to come by. Still, he’s been great with Tri-City in the WHL and I liked his play in U-18 competition earlier this year. I expect him to play a bigger role in Alberta next year – 2026 is more of a learning experience for Vaněček.
Projection
This might be one of the deepest Czech teams in a very long time. And that’s saying something, given they’re riding a three-year medal streak. There’s a ton of turnover from last year’s team, but many of the core elements are returning. The biggest question mark surrounds the crease – Milota is no Michael Hrabal, and his injury issues leave a reason to be concerned. But nobody will deny how dangerous this group looks, and anything less than a medal will be a major disappointment.
Schedule
Dec. 19 vs. Latvia – 8:00 PM ET (Pre-tournament)
Dec. 23 vs. Slovakia – 8:00 PM ET (Pre-tournament)
Dec. 26 vs. Canada – 8:30 PM ET
Dec. 27 vs. Denmark – 8:30 PM ET
Dec. 29 vs. Finland – 3:30 PM ET
Dec. 31 vs. Latvia – 3:30 PM ET
NHL Prospects
Forwards:
Adam Benák (Minnesota Wild)
Vojtech Cihar (Los Angeles Kings)
Max Curran (Colorado Avalanche)
Stepan Hoch (Utah Mammoth)
Adam Jecho (St. Louis Blues)
Vaclav Nestrasil (Chicago Blackhawks)
Tomas Poletin (New York Islanders)
Petr Sikora (Washington Capitals)
Defensemen:
Vashek Blanár (Boston Bruins)
Jakub Fibigr (Seattle Kraken)
Adam Jiříček (St. Louis Blues)
Radim Mrtka (Buffalo Sabres)
Max Pšenička (Utah Mammoth)
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