At the 2024 World Junior Championships, Team Czechia was trailing Team Finland 5-2 after two periods in the bronze-medal game. It seemed that the Czechs’ Cinderella run was going to end. However, as the Czechs say: “Bez práce nejsou koláče,” which roughly translates to “without work, there are no cakes” or if you want to put it into hockey terms, “without putting in the effort, you can’t achieve anything.”
Czechia took the saying to heart, scoring six unanswered goals in the third period, leading to an 8-5 victory, awarding themselves the bronze medal. Oh to be a fly on that locker room wall when someone lit a fire under their butts to get going in the third period. The win marked consecutive tournaments when Czechia finished higher than fourth place after winning the silver medal in 2023, and the second time in history they had medaled in consecutive tournaments.
Last season’s team was loaded with experienced talent, whereas, this year’s team will have many making their WJC debut, as every single player coming through tryouts is under 20. Below is a projected roster for the Czechs as they look to capture their third gold medal in Ottawa 2025.
Team Czechia’s Forwards
Left WingCenterRight Wing*Jakub ŠtanclDominik Petr*Eduard Šalé*Adam ŽidlickýAdam JechoMatěj KubiesaAdam TitlbachVojtěch Hradec*Matěj MastalirskyAdam CsabiMaxmilian CurranJaromír Pérez**Pavel Šimek**Adam Benák*indicates returning player*
**indicates extra skater**
Projected to return to Czechia’s lineup are Jakub Štancl, Eduard Šalé, Adam Židlický, and Matěj Mastalirsky. The headliner of the group is Šalé, who was selected 20th overall by the Seattle Kraken in the 2023 NHL Draft and will be playing in his third World Juniors before aging out of the tournament in March.
Šalé is also the only one of four returning players who is currently playing within an NHL organization; he’s playing for the American Hockey League’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. In 11 games this season, he has three goals and nine assists.
Adam Jecho will also be a force for the Czechs. At 6-foot-5 and 201 pounds, Jecho, drafted in the third round by the St. Louis Blues, could use his height and skating ability to become the Czech version of Dean Letourneau.
Adam Jecho, Edmonton Oil Kings (Photo Credit: Andy Devlin)While he has yet to make his debut with the Blues organization, Jecho has been lighting it up in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Through two seasons, he’s played a combined 73 games, scoring 29 goals and 36 assists.
Another newcomer to watch is Dominik Petr. Petr will likely split time with Jecho as the top-line center until the lineup is full. In 83 games over two seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL, he has 61 points (23 goals and 38 assists). Unless there is a dramatic shift in production between now and then, Petr is expected to start the tournament as the top-line center, given that he is 19 (Jecho is 18) and averaging one point per game.
Team Czechia Defensemen
Left DefenseRight DefenseJakub Dvořák*Adam JiříčekOliver SamsonDominik Badinka*Matteo Kočí*Vojtěch Vochvest**Jakub Fibigr**Marek Rocak*indicates returning skater*
**indicates extra skater**
Czechia’s defensive core will likely be full of new faces – only three of the eight defensive core are projected to return. Adam Jiříček, Matteo Kočí, and Vojtěch Vochvest are expected to be in Ottawa, while the rest of the pairings from the 2024 World Juniors have all aged out.
Newcomer Jakub Dvořák headlines the group as the only projected member to be part of an NHL organization. He’s currently with the Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings). Dvořák has played in nine games with zero goals, but he has picked up two assists this season.
So far, it’s unclear who Dvořák will play with on the top pairing, given the inexperience of Czechia’s defensive unit. He could be paired with Vochvest, who will be playing in his second World Juniors, but given Dvořák’s professional experience, it’s likely he will given the majority of the reps on defense, regardless of who he is paired with.
Team Czechia Goaltenders
Goaltenders*Michael HrabalLukáš Matěcha*Jan Kavan*indicates returning skater*
It’s no secret that Michael Hrabal will start in net for the Czechs, assuming he stays healthy and University of Massachusetts coach Greg Carvel lets him participate in the tournament (which he should). Hrabal is a big presence in net, and I don’t mean his stats – he’s 6-foot-6 and 209 pounds. With the Minutemen this season, Hrabal has a 5-4-2 record in 11 games with a 2.70 goals-against average (GAA) and a .909 save percentage (SV%).
Michael Hrabal, Arizona Coyotes (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)Jan Kavan is the only other goaltender on this list who has experience at the WJCs. Kavan played in one game in 2024, allowing five goals on 27 shots. Watch for Czechia to have him as backup, but lean towards Hrabal during the tournament. Kavan has a 2.37 GAA and a .919 SV% while on loan with LHK Jestřábi Prostějov.
Lukáš Matěcha is here as a depth piece for the Czechs. In 16 games with the Tri-City Americans, he has a 3.70 GAA and a .892 SV% despite a 12-3-1 record. Matěcha may be called upon for mop-up duty, but don’t expect to see him as a starter for Czechia.
Czechia Going for WJC Gold
In the last two tournaments, the Czechs have either fallen in the gold-medal game or settled for bronze. In this year’s tournament, however, they will be looking to complete the triple crown of medals and capture gold for the first time since 2001 – the second of consecutive WJC titles for the Czechs. Perhaps this will be the year they return to the top.
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