Following Finland who released their group earlier today, Czechia has announced the roster that will represent them at the IIHF World Championships that begin next week. Unlike Finland, Czechia will compete in Group B, meaning their games will take place at Arena Riga, in Riga, Latvia. Their group includes Canada, Switzerland, and regional rival Slovakia, among others.
This Czech roster is a bit lighter on NHL talent compared to Finland, the United States, and Canada, as one might expect. They do have a few names NHL fans would recognize, though, such as New York Rangers rising star Filip Chytil, Arizona Coyotes netminder Karel Vejmelka, Detroit Red Wings scorer Dominik Kubalik, 548-game NHL veteran Vladimir Sobotka.
The section of the Czech roster that has the fewest recognizable names from an NHL perspective is their defense, which is headlined by 2018 Stanley Cup champion Michal Kempny and Boston Bruins 2015 first-round pick Jakub Zboril. Beyond that, they’re relying on Arizona Coyotes farmhand Ronald Knot and a few talented players from European leagues, such as former Carolina Hurricane Michal Jordan.
F Ondrej Beranek
F Jiri Cernoch
F Roman Cervenka
F Jakub Flek
F Filip Chlapik
F Filip Chytil
F Martin Kaut
F Dominik Kubalik
F Lukas Sedlak
F Jiri Smejkal
F Vladimir Sobotka
F Michael Spacek
F David Tomasek
F Daniel Vozenilek
D Tomas Dvorak
D Michal Jordan
D Michal Kempny
D Ronald Knot
D Jan Kostalek
D Tomas Kundratek
D David Nemecek
D Jakub Zboril
So they’re letting Michael Jordan try a third sport in his 60s, but they’re not letting Jaromir Jagr play for the team in his 50s when he’s still playing over in Czechia! LOL