Mrtka reflects on first World Juniors experience, winning silver medal  

Radim Mrtka nearly had his quest for a medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship end before the tournament even began.

The ninth-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft sustained a shoulder injury minutes into the first period of Czechia’s first pre-tournament game against Latvia on Dec. 19.

Mrtka missed Czechia's first two games of the tournament, including a back-and-forth 7-5 loss to Canada that featured four lead changes. Mrtka, however, would later get his payback when it mattered most.

“I think I could play with it, but it just could only get worse,” Mrtka said. “... I'm glad the coach (Patrik Augusta) gave me the confidence back to join them during the tournament. And it was great. I was feeling good afterwards.”

Mrtka’s ice time was managed throughout the tournament as the defenseman logged between 17 and 18 minutes over his first four games. He said it was a challenge to get back to game speed without playing the full pre-tournament schedule and having missed substantial practice time.

Czechia rattled off group stage wins over Finland – which concluded in a wild 2-1 overtime finish – and Latvia, when Mrtka finished plus-2.

Czechia cruised in the quarterfinal round with a 6-2 win over Switzerland to set up a rematch against heavily favored Canada in the semifinal. Canada boasted some of the tournament's top talents with Porter Martone, Michael Hage, Zayne Parekh and top 2026 prospect Gavin McKenna.

It was a semifinal that mirrored the group stage game, with the lead swapping hands twice before Mrtka helped spring the game winner with 1:14 to play. Mrtka ignited the rush with a rifled seam pass to Adam Benak, who found Tomas Poletin for the clincher.

Czechia found a late empty-net goal and pulled off the impressive upset to eliminate Canda for the third consecutive year in one of the tournament’s craziest games. Mrtka said their win cultivated significant support from back home in Czechia.

“It was just amazing to beat them three times in a row,” Mrtka said. “It's an outstanding feeling, and I hope we're going to continue that.”

With its fourth consecutive world juniors medal already secured, Mrtka and Czechia were looking for its first gold medal since 2001 against a talented Sweden team led by Jack Berglund, Anton Frondell and 2026 draft prospect Ivar Stenberg.

Czechia trailed 3-0 late in the third period but cut the deficit down to one in the closing stages before Stenberg’s empty netter gave Sweden a 4-2 win.

Mrtka said playing on a gold-medal stage has become an expectation for Czechia teams. The team’s mentality has shifted from being an underdog to one that can play among the top squads like Canada, Sweden, Finland and the United States.

“That's the game we want to play and you just take everything you can from that type of game,” Mrtka said.

Mrtka possesses strong skating and offensive instincts along with his 6-foot-6 frame. While he showcased these skills throughout the tournament, the injury forced him to play a more simplistic style.

Mrtka was part of a talented Czechia blueline with Adam Jiricek, Jakub Fibigr, Tomas Galvas and was used in all situations. He said playing across all levels of the game with the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) gave him the confidence to be an effective piece on the power play, penalty kill and 5-on-5 with Czechia.

Playing in NHL preseason games until the end of Sabres training camp and spending time with the Rochester Americans (AHL) until late October gave Mrtka a taste of the big leagues and the bright spotlight, one he was prepared for at world juniors.

Mrtka is used to the international stage with multiple U18 world championships and a U17 world tournament under his belt. He’s helped develop the world profile of Czechia hockey alongside pieces like Benak, Poletin, Vojtech Cihar and top prospect Adam Novotny, all of whom are eligible to return to world juniors next year with Mrtka.

Mrtka wants to erase Czechia’s 25-year gold medal drought and smiled when asked about the idea of potentially beating Canada for the fourth year in a row when the 2027 tournament is held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

“It always gives you motivation when you lose in the final,” Mrtka said. “For next tournament, I'm really excited, and hopefully we'll just finish with a gold one.”