Colorado Avalanche forward Martin Necas was named to Czechia’s initial roster for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the Czech Ice Hockey Association announced today. The 2026 Olympics will be held Feb. 6-22, 2026 in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
Necas – who was acquired by the Avalanche in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 24, 2025 – recorded 28 points (11g/17a) in 30 regular-season games for the Avs and added five points (1g/4a) in seven Stanley Cup Playoffs contests. In 79 games with Carolina and Colorado, Necas set single-season career-highs in points (83) and assists (56), while his 27 goals were one shy of his personal best from 2022-23.
The Nove Mesto na Morave, Czechia, native represented his country at the World Championship each of the last two seasons and captured gold in 2024. The first-place finish marked the country’s first gold medal at the World Championship since 2010. Necas also represented his country at the World Championship in 2018 and holds a career scoring line of 7g/12a in 19 such contests. At the under-20 circuit, Necas competed for Czechia at the World Junior Championship on three occasions (2017-19) and registered 18 points (5g/13a) in 17 contests across those showcases. At the 2018 event, the forward led all skaters in assists (8) and points (11). Necas also suited up for Czechia at the IIHF U-18 World Championship in 2017.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound forward has collected 326 points (124g/202a) over 441 career regular-season NHL games with the Avalanche and Hurricanes. An even 100 of those points have come on the power play (40g/60a). Since his first full NHL season in 2019-20, Necas ranks among all Czech players in points (2nd), assists (2nd), goals (3rd), power-play goals (2nd), power-play points (2nd) and overtime tallies (T-1st).
Necas was named the NHL’s First Star for the month of November of 2024 after leading all skaters with 22 points (7g/15a) in 15 games during the month. He had a career-high 13-game point streak from Oct. 22–Nov. 17, during which he scored his 100th NHL goal on Oct. 24 at Calgary.
During his first full NHL season in 2019-20, Necas tallied 36 points (16g/20a) in 64 games, ranking fourth among NHL rookies in goals, seventh in points and tied for sixth in assists. He followed that up by leading the team with a +25 plus/minus rating in 2020-21 while ranking among the league leaders in both shorthanded goals (2) and overtime winners (2).
Necas made his NHL debut on Oct. 17, 2017, his only game that season before returning to HC Kometa Brno in the Czech Extraliga. He appeared in seven games the next season (2018-19), which included his first NHL goal on Oct. 16, 2018 at Tampa Bay. Necas spent the rest of the 2018-19 campaign with the Charlotte Checkers, where he tallied 52 points (16g/36a) in 64 regular-season games and 13 points (5g/8a) in 18 playoff contests to help the Checkers win the Calder Cup.
