On Tuesday, Jan. 6, the Czech Ice Hockey Federation announced its 2026 Winter Olympics men’s roster for as they look to build on its Men’s World Championship title from 2024. Czech hockey has grown over the recent few years, with the U20 team claiming the silver medal at the recent 2026 World Junior Championships. For the upcoming 2016 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, there are three Czech players to watch as they hope to bring a medal home.
David Pastrňák
When thinking of Czechia, it’s easy to think of forward David Pastrňák of the Boston Bruins. Pastrňák won the Gold Medal at the 2024 World Championship in Prague, scoring one goal in four games. He followed that up with being the 2025 World Championship Best Forward and leading scorer, with eight goals and nine assists for 15 points at the 2025 tournament. During the 2024-25 season with the Bruins, Pastrňák had 43 goals and 106 points in 82 games.
Related: Czechia Announces 2026 Men’s Winter Olympics Roster
This season, he has 19 goals and 48 points in 38 games. He is second on the team in goals (to Morgan Geekie’s 25), is first in assists (29), and first in points. Of his 19 goals, eight are power-play markers and two are game-winners. This will be Pastrňák’s first time playing for Czechia at the Olympics, as he’s mainly represented his country in the World Championship and World Juniors. There is no doubt that Pastrňák will be one of the guys leading the charge for Czechia in Group A.
Martin Nečas
Another forward to keep an eye on is Martin Nečas, who’s been on a tear in his first full season with the Colorado Avalanche with 19 goals and 53 points in 42 games. He is tied for second in goals, third in assists (34), and is second in points. Last season, he had 16 goals and 55 points in 49 games with the Carolina Hurricanes and 11 goals and 28 points in 30 games with the Avalanche.
During the 2024 IIHF World Championship, Nečas had one goal and seven points in the five games played on the way to a gold medal. During the 2025 tournament, he tallied three goals and seven points in seven games. Nečas has always been someone who’s been clutch for his country. He is a two-time Czech Extraliga Champion, Czech Extraliga MVP and Rookie of the Year, and Hlinka-Gretzky Cup Champion. Nečas’ stick handling, speed, goal-scoring ability, and offensive hockey IQ are something that Czechia will rely on in the upcoming games.
Nečas knows what it takes to win, especially after winning the gold medal at the 2024 World Championship. Even Czechia general manager, Jiří Šlégr, knows how important it is to have guys like Nečas at the upcoming Winter Olympics.
“These are mainly players who have already experienced what it is like to win the world championship title. I think there are 19 of them from the Prague championship, and that’s a terribly important factor for us. It sometimes takes time to find a way to win, and when you find it, you gain confidence that you can carry over to other tournaments,” he said.
If there is someone who could have a massive impact on Czechia in Milan-Cortina, it’s Nečas.
Dan Vladař
Moving on from the two impactful forwards, it’s hard to win games if a team doesn’t have good goaltending. Luckily for Czechia, they have three solid NHL-level goalies in Milan-Cortina. When a team can bring a trio of Lukáš Dostál, Karel Vejmelka, and Daniel Vladař, they’re set up to win some games and go on a deep run. That said, out of three goalies, it seems like Vladař could be the number-one guy.
During the 2025 World Championship, Vladař started four games and finished with a 3-0-0 record, along with a 1.09 goals against average (GAA) and a .951 save percentage (SV%). While his record with the Calgary Flames in 2024-25 was 12-11-6, he finished with a 2.80 GAA, a .898 SV%, and two shutouts. Following a move to the Philadelphia Flyers, Vladař has taken a step to show why he should be Czechia’s starter.
Related: 2026 World Junior Championship Team Czechia Final Roster
In 25 starts for the Flyers this season, Vladař has a 16-6-3 record, 2.37 GAA, and a .910 SV%. The Flyers currently sit with a 22-11-7 record (51 points) and have two games in hand against the second-place New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division. They’re one point back of second place and four points back of the Hurricanes (55 points). With how Vladař is playing in the crease, it makes sense why the Flyers are where they are in the standings. While Czechia has three solid goalies to choose from, if there was a 1A, it’s Vladař.
It’ll be the first time Czechia will bring NHLers to the Olympics. They’re in a group with Canada, Switzerland, and France, which means, if they play well, they could be in a good spot to make the bye to the quarterfinals as Group A winner or the best second-place team. It’ll come down to the chemistry and overall belief as they look to garner more attention on the international stage. They’ve won recently on that stage, but can they win it on the biggest one of all?
