Here is the Team Czechia projected roster (listed alphabetically by position, with an asterisk after the players who were named to the roster June 16):
Forwards (14)
Ondrej Beranek, Energie Karlovy Vary
Roman Cervenka, Dynamo Pardubice
Jakub Flek, Kometa Brno
Tomas Hertl, Vegas Golden Knights
Filip Chytil, Vancouver Canucks
David Kampf, Toronto Maple Leafs
Dominik Kubalik, EV Zug
Jiri Kulich, Buffalo Sabres
Martin Necas, Colorado Avalanche*
Ondrej Palat, New Jersey Devils*
David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins*
David Tomasek, Farjestad BK
Lukas Sedlak, Dynamo Pardubice
Pavel Zacha, Boston Bruins*
The offensive core should be similar to the one from the 2024 IIHF World Championship-winning team from Prague. Hertl, Chytil and Kulich are the only ones who were not part of that tournament. Although Cervenka will turn 40 on Dec. 10, he remains indispensable and will be likely named captain, a position he held at the 2024 World Championship and where he found great chemistry with Pastrnak the past two tournaments. Pastrnak (15 points; six goals, nine assists in eight games) was the top scorer at 2025 Worlds, where Cervenka finished third with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in eight games.
Pastrnak and Cervenka will likely be Zacha's wings with the big task for coach Radim Rulik finding someone to click with Necas on the second line, where Palat, Chytil or Flek might be good options. Kubalik has found his groove after returning to Switzerland from the NHL last season and his one-timer can still be a lethal weapon on the power play. It will be interesting to see who will be picked as a defensive center for the third or fourth line: Kampf is the most probable option after playing at Worlds in 2024, but if he does not have a spot with the Maple Leafs next season, Czechia might turn to Tomas Nosek of the Florida Panthers or Radek Faksa of the St. Louis Blues to be similar role players.
Defensemen (8)
Radko Gudas, Anaheim Ducks*
Libor Hajek, Dynamo Pardubice
Filip Hronek, Vancouver Canucks
David Jiricek, Minnesota/Iowa Wild
Michal Kempny, Sparta Praha
Jakub Krejcik, Sparta Praha
Jan Rutta, San Jose Sharks
David Spacek, Minnesota/Iowa Wild
Unlike the forwards, the lack of Czechia defensemen in the NHL will be a problem for the national team. Gudas, the Ducks captain, will be one of the leaders. Czechia has faith in Spacek, who has had much better success on the international level than in North America, and they can only hope Jiricek will grow to become a full-time NHL player next season. Six of eight players on this projected roster won gold at Worlds and provide a lot of experience at the position. Can they keep up the pace?
Goalies (3)
Lukas Dostal, Anaheim Ducks*
Karel Vejmelka, Utah Mammoth
Dan Vladar, Calgary Flames
Though defenseman might be the Achilles' heel of, goaltending should not be an issue. Nine goalies from Czechia have played at least one NHL game this season, five at least 30 games. The unequivocal No. 1 will be Dostal, who helped Czechia to gold in 2024 with shutouts against the United States in the quarterfinals and Switzerland in the gold-medal game. His backup will likely be Vejmelka, the third goalie in '24 and the starter in '25, when Vladar made a very good impression at his first major tournament with Czechia. Jakub Dobes (Montreal Canadiens) could challenge Vladar for a roster spot.
