Czechia Shares World Championship Roster
With the 2026 IIHF World Championship getting started in Switzerland on Friday, May 15, Czechia also released their roster earlier today, joining Canada, United States, and Finland. The three goaltender, eight defensemen, 14 forward roster is below:
Goaltenders
Josef Kořenář (HC Sparta Praha, Czechia)
Petr Kváča (Bílí Tygři Liberec, Czechia)
Dominik Pavlát (Ilves, Liiga)
Defensemen
Marek Alscher (Panthers)
Tomas Cibulka (HC Motor České Budějovice, Czechia)
Tomáš Galvas (Bílí Tygři Liberec, Czechia) —
Libor Hájek (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Filip Hronek (Canucks)
Michal Kempný (Brynäs IF, SHL)
Jan Ščotka (HC Kometa Brno, Czechia)
Jiří Ticháček (Kärpät, Liiga)
Forwards
Ondřej Beránek (HC Karlovy Vary, Czechia)
Matěj Blümel (Bruins)
Jiří Černoch (HC Karlovy Vary, Czechia)
Roman Červenka (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Jakub Flek (HC Kometa Brno, Czechia)
Jaroslav Chmelař (Rangers)
Martin Kaut (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Michal Kovařčík (HC Oceláři Třinec, Czechia)
Dominik Kubalík (EV Zug, Swiss NL)
Jan Mandát (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Matyáš Melovský (Devils)
Lukáš Sedlák (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
David Tomášek (Färjestad BK, SHL)
Daniel Voženílek (HC Oceláři Třinec, Czechia)
Out of a group with less NHL talent, Hronek’s name jumps out on the page, a top defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks who played a career high 25 minutes a night this season. Missing superstar David Pastrňák, who came away as the top scorer of the tournament last spring, it is Hronek who will be leaned on heavily by the Czechs. Elsewhere, Chmelař, Alscher, Blümel, and Tomášek are the only other players on the team who skated in the NHL this year.
Tomášek joined the Oilers as a 29-year-old free agent, his tenure ending in December, returning to the SHL. Alscher and Blümel played in four games each, the former making a nice impression with Florida, while Blümel netted 21 goals in 58 games with the Providence Bruins, a step down from his AHL-leading 39 the year prior. Finally, Chmelař recorded just six points in 28 games with the Rangers, but at 6’4″ and just 22, he’s a nice piece to their future bottom six.
Moving along, Červenka will add another feather to his cap of a long career. Playing in the NHL with the Flames in 2012-13, he has since carved out a tremendous career spanning across several leagues, now aged 40. The forward has served as captain for Czechia across international competition for nearly a decade, including the Olympic Games, and he’s still a top scorer with HC Dynamo Pardubice.
Kubalík, Kempný, and Sedlák are recognizable former NHL names, the first of which with a 30-goal campaign to kickstart his NHL career with the Blackhawks six years ago. Unfortunately he was never able to replicate such production, leaving the NHL after 2023-24, and since playing in Swiss-A.
Rounding out the group of names to watch, Melovský and Galvas stand out as being young NHL hopefuls. Galvas, 20, is a notable prospect for the 2026 draft, expected to have his name called in the second or third round. A 5’10” lefty defenseman, his best trait is skating ability, impressively leading all defenseman in scoring on Bílí Tygři Liberec. Melovský, meanwhile, will be watched by Devils fans especially, a sixth round pick of the team in 2024. Already in North America, he came away with 26 points in 55 games with Utica in his first professional season. It’s a good start for a former fringe prospect who hopes his physicality will lead to an NHL role some day.
The Czechs will be lead by Radim Rulík. The 60-year-old served as the nation’s head coach in the Olympic Games, a highlight as part of his experience since joining the international circuit in 2021.
Evening Notes: Sharks, Matthews, Klapka
After jumping into the second overall selection from last week’s draft lottery, the San Jose Sharks may capitalize on their luck by entertaining trade offers, outlined by The Fourth Period this morning.
With Toronto winning big last Tuesday, dominating many of the headlines, somewhat cast aside was the Sharks moving up seven spots to #2. Picking in the top five in each of the last three years, including second overall last summer (Michael Misa), the difference now is San Jose hardly needs another young forward in their pipeline, suddenly in win-now mode and past rebuild status. With Ivar Stenberg the clear cut second best player overall, defensemen such as Chase Reid and Keaton Verhoeff could be more attractive based on needs, but a reach at second overall from a value perspective.
2026 draftees aside, the Sharks netted an asset which would land a haul of NHL-ready talent, especially on the back-end, from any team looking to move up and select Stenberg. Known to be seeking upgrades on the blueline this summer, there’s perhaps no better trade chip than the one they hadn’t even expected to be holding today. As mentioned in the article above, GM Mike Grier also shopped his top pick last year, not ending up dealing it. If that proves to be the case again, rivals may be forced to prepare to deal with Stenberg, as part of a downright scary forward group in years to come.
Elsewhere across the league:
- In Friday’s episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet speculated that Auston Matthews may wait until later in the summer to decide on his future, but from Toronto’s behalf, they simply can’t wait that long to get “an idea”. Last week it was apparent that the new John Chayka regime had work to do to impress Matthews and ease his concerns on the team’s contention chances in the future. Winning the 2026 draft’s top selection is as good of a start as they could have hoped, but as Friedman notes, there’s still plenty more to be done with trades and free agency. Signed for two more years at $13.25MM, Matthews’ supposed “decision” is an entirely other conversation, as to what could even happen if things were to go awry. Regardless, it’s a major headline going into the off-season, and any moves Chayka will make will have Matthews’ interests in mind.
- Calgary Flames forward Adam Klapka was a final cut from Team Czechia at the 2026 IIHF World Championships. The 25-year-old was a member of last spring’s team, where he recorded three points in five games. Coming up short of the Olympic team in February, a result of his lack of special teams ability, it was likely the same case for today’s ruling. At 6’8”, the winger was brute force in his first full NHL season, racking up 112 penalty minutes and finishing fourth in the league with 295 hits. The righty chipped in offensively from the fourth line as well, tallying 18 points across his 79 games. Signed through next season, he’ll utilize the offseason to rest up from a long campaign where he more than doubled NHL appearances.
Big Hype Prospects: Suvanto, Dagenais, Willis, Tomek
Pre-tournament action has kicked off at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship. This year will be a tournament to watch, with standout draft talent spread across a big group of contenders. This will be a last chance to convince the NHL scouts for 2026 NHL Draft talent, while many 2027 NHL Draft stars will be looking to snag early attention. To celebrate one of the top tournaments of the draft season, we will once again borrow MLB Trade Rumors’ Big Hype Prospect series to cover four names to watch.
Four Big Hype Prospects
Team Finland – Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)
48 GP, 2 G – 9 A – 11 TP, 16 PIM, +3
Oliver Suvanto has held the attention of many scouts for the last two seasons. He is a strong and heavy center who checks a lot of boxes. Suvanto can win faceoffs and shut down opponents defensively. He plays a smart, heads-up game that switches from defense to offense quickly. But in the first pro season of his career, his offense struggled to stand out. Suvanto didn’t help his case at the 2026 World Junior Championships, where he scored only two goals in seven games. He has otherwise scored eight points in 13 international games with Finland this year – and undoubtedly stands as the team’s top center headed into the U18 Worlds. A point-per-game player in Finland’s U20 league last season, Suvanto has a proven oomph to his offense and an overwhelming two-way style. He could be the leader of a big tournament for Finland, or may string out doubts with another low-scoring tournament. The opportunity under the spotlight will mean more for Suvanto’s draft stock than many of his peers.
Team Canada – Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
62 GP, 30 G – 32 A – 62 TP, 31 PIM
There may not be a hotter draft prospect than Quebec’s Maddox Dagenais. The chippy shooter had 13 multi-point games after January 1st, en route to 20 goals and 43 points in the last 40 games of the season. Dagenais plays a straightforward game, dominating opponents with his downhill play-driving, quick cuts with the puck, and feisty physical strength. He can toss opponents off of him and plays with reckless abandon while diving into puck battles. That is both a pro and con for Dagenais, not helped along by questions around if he can really take over play-driving. That will make the U18 Worlds a golden opportunity for Dagenais, providing him a chance to build his high-energy style off of other Canadian stars. If he proves he can control play, Dagenais could be fighting for first-round attention at this tournament. After all, he brings the shooting, hitting, and swagger that many teams look for with their top pick.
Team USA – Brayden Willis, RW, U.S. National U17 Team (NTDP)
51 GP, 20 G – 28 A – 48 TP, 26 PIM
This will be a last showing for the 2026 class, and first impressions for much of the 2027 class. Team USA star Brayden Willis sits behind both groups, born one day into eligibility for the 2028 NHL Draft. He opened USA’s pre-tournament action on the top-line – carrying over momentum earned from a standout season with the U17 National Team Development Program. Willis proved to be the lineup’s workhorse, matching a chippy and confident style with lightning-quick reactions and skill. He is a dynamo who routinely connected with high-skill teammates like Carter Meyer – also on the U18 roster. Willis will play on house money by even stepping into the tournament lineup, getting an early chance to steer ahead of the 2028 class. He could build momentum if his confident and chippy game earns him some hard-earned scoring.
Team Czechia – Petr Tomek, LW, Energie Karlovy Vary (Czechia Extraliga)
51 GP, 13 G – 7 A – 20 TP, 12 PIM, +2
European fans were watching for one name on U18 rosters. 17 year old winger Petr Tomek has caught waves of attention over the course of his first season in Czechia’s top pro league. The challenge of a physical league and a skinny frame did not faze Tomek, who played with an overabundance of confidence and skill this season. He is a smooth puck-handler who knows how to slow down time as he enters the offensive zone to find shooting lanes and scoring chances. That helped Tomek notch eight points in 11 international games with Team Czechia’s U18 roster, and four points in four games with the U20 roster, earlier this season. He will enter the U18 Worlds as one of Czechia’s most dynamic, offensive talents. Paying off that standing with flashy scoring could go far in helping NHL scouts overlook his skinny build.