Czechia Shares World Championship Roster

With the 2026 IIHF World Championship getting started in Switzerland on Friday, May 15, Czechia also released their roster earlier today, joining Canada, United States, and Finland. The three goaltender, eight defensemen, 14 forward roster is below:

Goaltenders

Josef Kořenář (HC Sparta Praha, Czechia)
Petr Kváča (Bílí Tygři Liberec, Czechia)
Dominik Pavlát (Ilves, Liiga)

Defensemen

Marek Alscher (Panthers)
Tomas Cibulka (HC Motor České Budějovice, Czechia)
Tomáš Galvas (Bílí Tygři Liberec, Czechia) —
Libor Hájek (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Filip Hronek (Canucks)
Michal Kempný (Brynäs IF, SHL)
Jan Ščotka (HC Kometa Brno, Czechia)
Jiří Ticháček (Kärpät, Liiga)

Forwards

Ondřej Beránek (HC Karlovy Vary, Czechia)
Matěj Blümel (Bruins)
Jiří Černoch (HC Karlovy Vary, Czechia)
Roman Červenka (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Jakub Flek (HC Kometa Brno, Czechia)
Jaroslav Chmelař (Rangers)
Martin Kaut (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Michal Kovařčík (HC Oceláři Třinec, Czechia)
Dominik Kubalík (EV Zug, Swiss NL)
Jan Mandát (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Matyáš Melovský (Devils)
Lukáš Sedlák (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
David Tomášek (Färjestad BK, SHL)
Daniel Voženílek (HC Oceláři Třinec, Czechia)

Out of a group with less NHL talent, Hronek’s name jumps out on the page, a top defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks who played a career high 25 minutes a night this season. Missing superstar David Pastrňák, who came away as the top scorer of the tournament last spring, it is Hronek who will be leaned on heavily by the Czechs. Elsewhere, Chmelař, Alscher, Blümel, and Tomášek are the only other players on the team who skated in the NHL this year.

Tomášek joined the Oilers as a 29-year-old free agent, his tenure ending in December, returning to the SHL. Alscher and Blümel played in four games each, the former making a nice impression with Florida, while Blümel netted 21 goals in 58 games with the Providence Bruins, a step down from his AHL-leading 39 the year prior. Finally, Chmelař recorded just six points in 28 games with the Rangers, but at 6’4″ and just 22, he’s a nice piece to their future bottom six.

Moving along, Červenka will add another feather to his cap of a long career. Playing in the NHL with the Flames in 2012-13, he has since carved out a tremendous career spanning across several leagues, now aged 40. The forward has served as captain for Czechia across international competition for nearly a decade, including the Olympic Games, and he’s still a top scorer with HC Dynamo Pardubice.

Kubalík, Kempný, and Sedlák are recognizable former NHL names, the first of which with a 30-goal campaign to kickstart his NHL career with the Blackhawks six years ago. Unfortunately he was never able to replicate such production, leaving the NHL after 2023-24, and since playing in Swiss-A.

Rounding out the group of names to watch, Melovský and Galvas stand out as being young NHL hopefuls. Galvas, 20, is a notable prospect for the 2026 draft, expected to have his name called in the second or third round. A 5’10” lefty defenseman, his best trait is skating ability, impressively leading all defenseman in scoring on Bílí Tygři Liberec. Melovský, meanwhile, will be watched by Devils fans especially, a sixth round pick of the team in 2024. Already in North America, he came away with 26 points in 55 games with Utica in his first professional season. It’s a good start for a former fringe prospect who hopes his physicality will lead to an NHL role some day.

The Czechs will be lead by Radim Rulík. The 60-year-old served as the nation’s head coach in the Olympic Games, a highlight as part of his experience since joining the international circuit in 2021.