Pavel Zacha will not play for Team Czechia in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 because of an upper-body injury.
The Boston Bruins forward will be replaced by forward Filip Chlapik.
Zacha has not played since Jan. 29, when he left in the second period of a 6-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers. Bruins coach Marco Sturm said the injury wasn’t serious enough to impact Zacha’s ability to play at the Olympics.
The 28-year-old has 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 54 games this season.
Chlapik was a second-round pick (No. 48) by the Ottawa Senators at the 2015 NHL Draft. He last played in the League during the 2020-21 season, when he was held off the score sheet in one game for the Senators. He had 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 57 games for Ottawa over four seasons.
Chlapik, 28, is in his third season with Sparta Praha in the Czech Extraliga, where he has 45 points (19 goals, 26 assists) in 45 games this season.
Team Czechia plays its first game of the tournament against Team Canada on Thursday (10:30 a.m. ET; Peacock, USA, CBC Gem, CBC).
