Team Czechia projected roster for 2026 Olympics by NHL.com

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 begin with Opening Ceremonies on Feb. 6.

The men's ice hockey tournament will start with preliminary games on Feb. 11, with the gold-medal game scheduled for Feb. 22.

This is the first time NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics since Sochi in 2014.

In the Olympics, each team carries 25 players -- traditionally 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies.

NHL.com is predicting the Olympic rosters, which will be officially named around Jan. 1.

Today, NHL.com/cs senior independent correspondent Michael Langr reveals his picks for Team Czechia.

Explore NHL.com's Coverage of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026

Here is the Team Czechia projected roster -- in alphabetical order -- with an asterisk for the players who were named to the preliminary rosters June 16:

FORWARDS (14)

Ondřej Beránek, Karlovy Vary
Roman Cervenka, Pardubice
Filip Chytil, Vancouver Canucks
Radek Faksa, Dallas Stars
Jakub Flek, Brno
Tomas Hertl, Vegas Golden Knights
Dominik Kubalik, Zug
Jiri Kulich, Buffalo Sabres
Martin Necas, Colorado Avalanche*
Ondrej Palat, New Jersey Devils*
David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins*
Lukas Sedlak, Pardubice
David Tomasek, Edmonton Oilers
Pavel Zacha, Boston Bruins*

Generating offense should not be a problem for the Czech team, which can place Pastrnak and Zacha on the top line alongside Cervenka, who is expected to be team captain. The core remains similar to that of the team that won the gold medal at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Prague, with Hertl, Chytil, Kulich and Faksa being the only players who were not part of that group. Cervenka's chemistry with Pastrnak should be one of the team's biggest assets, despite the fact that Cervenka turns 40 on Dec. 10. Cervenka led Czechia at the 2024 Worlds with 11 points (three goals, 10 assists) in eight games, and then at the 2025 Worlds he tied for second with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in eight games while Pastrnak finished first with 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in eight games. Chytil's health issues remain a concern for coach Radim Rulík, but he still has star power in Necas, Palat and Hertl, and good options on the wing with internationally proven players from European leagues such as Sedlak, Flek and Kubalík. It will be interesting to see how Tomasek's first NHL season with the Oilers develops, as despite his lack of scoring early in the season, he still could emerge as one of the dark horses for the Czech roster.

DEFENSEMEN (8)

Radko Gudas, Anaheim Ducks*
Libor Hajek, Pardubice
Filip Hronek, Vancouver Canucks
David Jiricek, Minnesota Wild
Michal Kempny, Brynäs
Jakub Krejcík, Sparta
Jan Rutta, Geneve
David Spacek, Iowa

Defense might be the Achilles heel for Team Czechia heading into the tournament. With only two regular NHL defensemen projected for the roster and Jiricek splitting time between the Wild and Iowa, their American Hockey League affiliate, the defense corps lacks the top-end pedigree of their North American and European rivals. Still, experience won't be an issue since five -- Gudas, Hajek, Krejcik, Rutta and Spacek -- were part of the team that won gold at the 2024 World Championship. Gudas, now Ducks captain, will be a tone-setter. The team also continues to believe in Spacek, a 22-year-old who has delivered on the international stage, even if he hasn't seen his North American pro career take off yet.

GOALIES (3)

Jakub Dobes, Montreal Canadiens
Lukas Dostal, Anaheim Ducks*
Dan Vladar, Philadelphia Flyers

Unlike the defensemen group, goaltending should not be a problem. Seven Czech goalies have appeared in at least one NHL game this season, and two teams feature all-Czech tandems, the Ducks with Dostal and Petr Mrazek, and the Utah Mammoth with Karel Vejmelka and Vitek Vanecek, marking the first time in NHL history this has occurred. Dostal is the undisputed No. 1, having backstopped Czechia to the World Championship title in 2024 with shutouts in the quarterfinals against the United States and in the gold-medal game against Switzerland. Dobes has started this season strong in Montreal but lacks international experience. Vladar proved to be a reliable No. 2 at the 2025 Worlds, and Czech team goaltending coach Ondrej Pavelec likes his poise and steadiness.