Czech NHL Draft preview

This weekend, the best undrafted junior-aged hockey talent in the world collectively has its hopes and dreams focused on Pittsburgh, site of this year's NHL Entry Draft. A number of talented Czechs are expected to be taken, led by Radek Faksa and Tomáš Hertl, who were also both taken in the first round of last month's KHL Entry Draft.

Faksa and Hertl are successful products of the two paths that young Czech players must choose between when deciding what is best for their future. The choice is often a difficult one, and the argument over which is best can go on endlessly. Faksa plays for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League, part of the Canadian junior system, while Hertl just won the Rookie-of-the-Year award in the Czech Extraliga, where he played for Slavia Praha.

Though there has not been a Czech first-round pick since Jakub Voráček in 2007, there is a chance their could be three taken this year. In addition to Faksa and Hertl, Martin Frk of the Halifax Mooseheads is highly-ranked.

I previewed the top domestic-based Czech players for HockeysFuture.com and, to avoid being redundant, I won't re-type it, but link to it here. Also included my preview is Nathan Walker, who is not Czech by nationality, but has played in Vítkovice for the past six seasons and is ranked 25th among European-based skaters.

From hokej.cz, here is a list of all Czech prospects that have been ranked by Central Scouting Services, divided into four categories.

Czechs ranked among North American-based skaters:

  7. Radek Faksa    C     Kitchener (OHL)
 20. Martin Frk     RW    Halifax (QMJHL)
 45. Tomáš Hyka     RW    Gatineau (QMJHL)
 97. Matěj Beran    C     P.E.I. (QMJHL)
156. Tomáš Pavelka  D     P.E.I. (QMJHL)
163. Dominik Volek  C/RW  Regina (WHL)
182. Michal Plutnar D     Tri-City (WHL)
190. Patrik Machač  C     Brampton (OHL)

Czechs ranked among North American-based goaltenders:

 8. Patrik Bartošák    Red Deer (WHL)
14. Matěj Machovský    Brampton (OHL)
22. Roman Will         Moncton (QMJHL)
27. Jaroslav Pavelka   Windsor (OHL)

Czechs ranked among European-based skaters:

  5. Tomáš Hertl         C   Slavia Praha
 26. Erik Němec          C   Vítkovice
 38. Aleš Kilnar         LW  Vítkovice
 39. Jakub Ižacký        LW  Třinec
 40. Petr Koblasa        RW  Karlovy Vary
 41. Richard Nejezchleb  RW  Slavia Praha
 60. Ronald Knot         D   Slavia Praha
 62. Martin Procházka    LW  Sparta Praha
 71. Tomáš Nosek         LW  Pardubice
 75. Matěj Zadražil      LW  Karlovy Vary
 76. Adam Hawlik         D   Pardubice
 81. Ondřej Slováček     RW  Vítkovice
 86. Libor Šulák         D   Tatranskí Vlci (MHL)
 91. Jan Bittner         D   Litvínov
 95. Karel Plášil        D   České Budějovice
118. Jiří Sekáč          LW  Lev Poprad (KHL)

Czechs ranked among European-based goaltenders:

  5. Marek Langhamer     Pardubice

Czechs drafted in 2011 (10):
David Musil, Dmitrij Jaškin, David Honzík, Dominik Uher, Lukáš Sedlák, Matěj Stránský, Daniel Přibyl, Richard Nedomlel, Petr Plaček, Ondřej Palát.

Czechs drafted in 2010 (5):
Petr Straka, Jakub Culek, Radko Gudas, Petr Mrázek, Adam Polášek.

Czechs drafted in 2009 (3):
Andrej Nestrašil, Roman Horák, Tomáš Vincour.

Czechs drafted in 2008 (3):
Tomáš Kundrátek, Michal Jordán, Tomáš Kubalík.

Czechs drafted in 2007 (5):
Jakub Voráček, Michal Řepík, Vladimír Růžička, Ondřej Roman, Radim Ostrčil.

Czechs drafted in 2006 (8):
Michael Frolík, Jiří Tlustý, Tomáš Káňa, Michal Neuvirth, Ondřej Fiala, David Květoň, Jakub Kovář, Martin Látal.

Czechs drafted in 2005 (13):
Martin Hanzal, Jakub Kindl, Petr Kalus, Ondřej Pavelec, Radek Smoleňák, Jakub Vojta, Vladimír Sobotka, Tomáš Pöpperle, Tomáš Pospíšil, Tomáš Kudělka, Marek Kvapil, Lukáš Vantuch, David Kuchejda.

Czechs set to take on the junior hockey world

The IIHF U20 World Championship began on Monday in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with eight of ten teams in action. The Czech Republic are one of the two teams that waits until Tuesday to get underway, and then will have to play four games in five days against some stiff competition, one of the rewards they get for finishing seventh last year.

After two pre-tournament exhibition games in which they beat Latvia 7-1 and then lost 5-3 to Russia, the Czechs trimmed their roster down to the required 23. For Czech fans, the most disappointing omission is highly-touted winger Martin Frk, who never came to camp. After suffering a concussion in a QMJHL pre-season game in September, Frk returned to the Halifax Mooseheads lineup for a few games in December, but elected to go home to the Czech Republic for Christmas and rest rather than risk re-injury in the highly competitive tournament.

Without Frk, the Czechs are still in better shape than they were last year, as they do have Petr Mrázek, David Musil and Dmitrij Jaškin, who all missed last year's tournament.

Their first game is against Denmark, who opened with an 11-3 loss to the USA on Monday. It should be the Czechs' easiest game in the group stage, though coach Miroslav Přerost is taking nothing for granted.  "The first game in the tournament always brings some nervousness before the players get used to the atmosphere, the ice and the tempo of the play," he told hokej.cz's Václav Jáchim. "The Danes won't be easy. The Americans got 11 goals on them, but in the first period they played very well."

In a group that's tough enough, picking up the full three points against Denmark is imperative, as things get much more difficult after that. After Tuesday's game, which begins at 2am Wednesday in the Czech Republic, they then get Canada, the United States and Finland in quick succession. They will need to beat at least one more of them to avoid a third-straight trip to the relegation round.

As expected, Mrázek will start in goal against Denmark, with Libor Kašík backing him up.

For an in-depth analysis on the team, read my preview at HockeysFuture.com or my contribution to Bruce Peter's preview at Puckworlds.com.

Below is the Czech team's tournament roster, courtesy the Czech Ice Hockey Association, followed by the team's group-stage schedule. Included in the schedule is international television listings.

Goaltenders:

Petr Mrázek (Ottawa, OHL), Libor Kašík (Zlín/Olomouc), Tomáš Král (Oulu, Finland).

Defencemen:

Marek Hrbas (Kamloops, WHL), Bohumil Jank (Poprad, KHL), Daniel Krejčí (Slavia Praha), Vojtěch Mozík (Ml. Boleslav), David Musil (Vancouver, WHL), Jiří Říha (Liberec/Benátky), Petr Zámorský (Zlín).

Forwards:

Jakub Culek, Petr Straka (both Rimouski, QMJHL), Tomáš Filippi (Baie-Comeau, QMJHL), Tomáš Hertl, Dmitrij Jaškin (both Slavia Praha), Petr Holík (Zlín), Tomáš Hyka (Gatineau, QMJHL), Tomáš Nosek (Pardubice), Daniel Přibyl (Sparta Praha), Lukáš Sedlák (Chicoutimi, QMJHL), Jiří Sekáč (Poprad, KHL), Michal Švihálek (Č. Budějovice), Dominik Uher (Spokane, WHL), Radek Faksa (Kitchener, WHL). 

Team Manager: Petr Komers

Head Coach: Miroslav Přerost

Assistant Coaches: Jiří Juřík, Jiří Fischer

Goaltending Coach: Roman Višňák

Team Doctor: Dr. Marcel Hujo

Video Coach: Jan Procházka

Physiotherapist: Radovan Sakaláš

Trainers: Leoš Mitáček, Zdeněk Šmíd

DATE, OPPONENT, MT (CET), TELEVISION

Tuesday, December 27, Denmark, 6pm (02:00 Wed), ČT4, TSN

Wednesday, December 28, Canada, 6pm (02:00 Thu), ČT4, TSN, RDS, Viasat, NTV, Eurosport

Friday, December 30, USA, 1:30pm (21:30), ČT4, TSN, RDS, NHL Network

Saturday, December 31, Finland, 2pm (22:00), ČT4, TSN, Viasat, MTV3

All games above will be streamed online, live or on-demand, within the Czech Republic at ceskatelevize.cz/ct4/zive-vysilani. Elsewhere, the opposition's rightsholder or fasthockey.com may provide online coverage.

WJC roster trimmed from 40 to 27

The management and coaching staff of the Czech national junior team has decided to take a smaller number of players overseas than orignally planned, and has therefore cut its roster from 40 to 27 players.

"We have limited selection, it wouldn't be very good to take a large number of players overseas, which would hurt their clubs," coach Miroslav Přerost explained to hokej.cz's Václav Jáchim. "That does not mean that the selected players should be over-confident. Anything can happen, and we will respond to what develops."

Přerost's words seem to indicate that this list of 27 players is only a rough draft, and that if a player who is currently on the list of reserves proves to the staff that he deserves a spot more than anyone who is currently on the preliminary roster, he might get the nod ahead of them.

The trimming of the number of players, particularly in the area of goaltenders, seems to reaffirm Petr Mrázek's position as the starter. "Mrazek is the clear starter for us, his participation was crucial," said Přerost.

Only three will be on the final roster, so it seems that Libor Kašík and Tomáš Král will get the other two positions, unless Patrik Bartošák or Matěj Machovský, who are still on the reserve list, are brought back for another look. Roman Will of the Moncton Wildcats has apparently been cut.

The remaining list of 24 will have to be reduced to 20 by the start of the tournament. That will probably mean two more defencemen and two more forwards getting cut from camp.

Radek Faksa of the Kitchener Rangers was not originally on the list, but has apparently impressed the coaching staff enough with his rookie OHL season, in which he has recorded 27 points in 27 games, to make his way onto the list.

Tomáš Hertl is confident about making the Czech U20 team. 

Two names that remain on the list despite injuries are 18-year-old forwards Martin Frk and Tomáš Hertl. Frk suffered a concussion in a pre-season game and has yet to play in the QMJHL yet this season, but is expected to return soon. Hertl is the leading rookie scorer in the Czech Extraliga with 15 points in 23 games, but has missed the last five with a shoulder injury. He, too, appears close to returning, and expects to be on the team.

"Last week I began training, gradually getting into it. The important thing is that I did not feel the injured shoulder, so I think it's good to go," he said in a recent interview. "I've thought the whole time that I was going to be in the U20 tournament, and occasionally chatted with (Slavia teammate) Dmitrij Jaškin about it. Now that it's even closer, the topic comes up more."

Unless further changes are made, the 27 players listed below will begin a mini-camp in Lethbridge, Alberta on December 18 to determine the final tournament roster.

Goaltenders:

Petr Mrázek (Ottawa, OHL), Libor Kašík (Zlín/Olomouc), Tomáš Král (Oulu, Finland).

Defencemen:
 
Tomáš Bartejs (Chomutov), Marek Hrbas (Kamloops, WHL), Bohumil Jank (Poprad, KHL), Daniel Krejčí (Slavia Praha), Vojtěch Mozík (Ml. Boleslav), David Musil (Vancouver, WHL), Filip Pavlík (Třinec/Ústí), Jiří Říha (Liberec/Benátky), Petr Zámorský (Zlín).

Forwards:
 
Jakub Culek, Petr Straka (both Rimouski, QMJHL), Tomáš Filippi (Baie-Comeau, QMJHL), Martin Frk (Halifax, QMJHL), Tomáš Hertl, Dmitrij Jaškin (both Slavia Praha), Petr Holík (Zlín), Tomáš Hyka (Gatineau, QMJHL), Tomáš Nosek (Pardubice), Daniel Přibyl (Sparta Praha), Lukáš Sedlák (Chicoutimi, QMJHL), Jiří Sekáč (Poprad, KHL), Michal Švihálek (Č. Budějovice), Dominik Uher (Spokane, WHL), Radek Faksa (Kitchener, WHL).

Reserves:

Patrik Bartošák (Red Deer, WHL), Matěj Machovský (Brampton, OHL), Daniel Sobotka, Tomáš Rubeš (Sparta, Beroun), Tomáš Fořt (Zlín), Michal Vachovec (K. Vary), David Stach (Lukko Rauma, Finland), Jan Káňa (Brno), Tomáš Rousek (Č. Budějovice), Denis Kindl (Montréal, QMJHL), Jaroslav Vlach (Liberec/Benátky).

General Manager: Petr Komers
Head Coach: Miroslav Přerost
Assistant Coaches: Jiří Juřík a Jiří Fischer 
Goaltending Coach: Roman Višňák 
Team Doctor: Dr. Marcel Hujo
Video Technician: Jan Procházka 
Physiotherapist: Radovan Sakaláš
Custodians, Masseurs: Leoš Mitáček, Zdeněk Šmíd

Mrázek cleared for WJC, on preliminary roster

The Czech Republic hasn't fared well in recent World Junior Championships, but this year they will have one benefit that they did not have the past two seasons, that being the presence of goaltender Petr Mrázek.

Petr Mrázek will backstop the Czechs at this year's
WJC in Alberta. Photo: ottawa67s.blogspot.com.

In 2009, Mrázek and defenceman Adam Polášek left the Czech Republic and their Vítkovice club to join junior teams in Canada. Vítkovice protested, claiming that the players were not properly transferred and they still retained their playing rights. The club used this power to block the pair from playing for the Czech national junior team at the 2010 and 2011 World Junior Championships.

Polášek is now 20 years old, but Mrázek is 19 and still has another year of tournament eligibility. This time around, the Czech Ice Hockey Association was determined to have him on the team, and negotiated a financial settlement which freed him to play.

"This is an extremely helpful step in the interest of representing the Czech Republic, for which I want to thank both the management of HC Vítkovice Steel and personally (club president) František Černík," said ČSLH President Tomáš Král, upon announcing the news. "An extremely high level of competition awaits us in Canada, and we need a goalkeeper of the quality of Petr Mrázek."

Although goaltending has not been the team's only area of concern the past two years, they failed to qualify for the quarter-finals both times. Having the starting goaltender of the Ottawa 67's and draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings on its roster will give the Czech team a much better chance at advancing.

Five others will battle for the remaining two goaltending roster spots. None of them have WJC experience, but Matěj Machovský played very well for the Czech team at last year's U18 World Champonship in Germany.

Defenceman Bohumil Jank and forwards Jakub Culek, Martin Frk, Petr Holík and Petr Straka are the only returning players from last year's squad. All five are expected to not only make the team, but be leaders. Frk, who, barely aged 17, recorded 6 points in six games at last year's tournament in Buffalo, will again be the player who gets the most attention from scouts.

Additionally, defenceman David Musil and right winger Dmitrij Jaškin were both locks to be on last year's team, but both missed due to injury. Both were taken in the second round of last year's NHL Entry Draft, by Edmonton and St. Louis, respectively.

The European-based players will assemble in Rokycany on December 16 and then rendezvous with the North American-based players in Alberta for a short training camp beginning on the 18th. They play a pair of pre-tournament exhibition games before opening their Group B schedule against Denmark on December 27. Also competing in their group is Canada, the USA and Finland. The top three teams advance to the quarter-finals, with the top team receiving a bye to the semis.

Here is the preliminary roster:

Goaltenders:

Patrik Bartošák (Red Deer, WHL), Libor Kašík (Zlín/Olomouc), Tomáš Král (Oulu, Finland), Matěj Machovský (Brampton, OHL), Petr Mrázek (Ottawa, OHL), Roman Will (Moncton, QMJHL).

Defencemen:
 
Tomáš Bartejs (Chomutov), Marek Hrbas (Kamloops, WHL), Bohumil Jank (Poprad, KHL), Daniel Krejčí (Slavia Praha), Vojtěch Mozík (Ml. Boleslav), David Musil (Vancouver, WHL), Richard Nedomlel (Swift Current, WHL), Filip Pavlík (Třinec/Ústí), Jiří Říha (Liberec/Benátky), Daniel Sobotka (Sparta Praha/Beroun), Petr Zámorský (Zlín).

Forwards:
 
Jakub Culek (Rimouski, QMJHL), Tomáš Filippi (Baie-Comeau, QMJHL), Tomáš Fořt (Zlín), Martin Frk (Halifax, QMJHL), Tomáš Hertl (Slavia Praha), Petr Holík (Zlín), Tomáš Hyka (Gatineau, QMJHL), Dmitrij Jaškin (Slavia Praha), Jan Káňa (Brno), Denis Kindl (Montréal, QMJHL), Tomáš Nosek (Pardubice), Tomáš Rousek (Č. Budějovice), Petr Plaček (Harvard Univ., ECAC), Daniel Přibyl, Tomáš Rubeš (both Sparta Praha), Lukáš Sedlák (Chicoutimi, QMJHL), Jiří Sekáč (Poprad, KHL), David Stach (Lukko Rauma, Finland), Petr Straka (Rimouski, QMJHL), Michal Švihálek (Č. Budějovice), Dominik Uher (Spokane, WHL), Michal Vachovec (K. Vary), Jaroslav Vlach (Liberec/Benátky).

Coaches: Miroslav Přerost, Jiří Kučera, Jiří Fischer.

Pre-tournament exhibition games:

Tue, Dec 20: Czech Republic-Latvia (Okotoks)
Thu, Dec 22: Czech Republic-Russia (Lethbridge)

Group B games (at Edmonton):

Tue, Dec 27: Czech Republic-Denmark (6pm MT, 02:00 CET)
Wed, Dec 28: Canada-Czech Republic (6pm MT, 02:00 CET)
Fri, Dec 30: USA-Czech Republic (1:30pm MT, 21:30 CET)
Sat, Dec 31: Czech Republic-Finland (2pm MT, 22:00 CET)

Swiss top U19 event in Strakonice

Switzerland's aim to establish itself as one of the elite hockey nations of the world got a minor shot in the arm this weekend, when they won a four-team U19 mini-tournament in Strakonice, Czech Republic. The Swiss and Czechs finished tied with 6 points each, but the Swiss took first by winning the head-to-head match-up 4-2. Slovakia finished third with 4 points, and Germany was last with 2.

Lino Martschini, who plays for the OHL's Peterborough Petes, led tourament scorers with 4 points in three games, while linemate Richard Tanner and Czech Tomáš Fořt each had 3. Two of the more noteworthy names in the tournament, Switzerland's Sven Bartschi and the Czech Republic's Martin Frk, each recorded 2 points. Bartschi, a first-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames, will attend the NHL club's training camp next month, while Frk, a highly-rated prospect for 2012, is expected to re-join the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads once he gets a visa issue cleared.

The key to Switzerland's success in this tournament was defence, as they surrendered only 5 goals in three games. Goaltender Lukas Meili surrendered only 2 goals in two games and posted a tournament-high .941 save percentage. 

Long on the periphery of the core of great hockey nations, Switzerland has produced many prospects in recent years and has consistently out-performed the other three teams in this tournament at IIHF championships in the U20 and U18 categories. The Swiss finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at the last two World Junior Championships, while the Czechs, Slovaks and Germans all battled in the relegation round.

Frk headlines Czech U19s in Strakonice

Although there is no IIHF World Championship for the U19 age group, European nations are beginning to concentrate more on this year in preparation for the following year's U20 World Championship.

Martin Frk is an unexpected addition to the Czech U19
roster this weekend. Photo: bleacherreport.com.

Because the U20 event, also known as the World Junior Championship, is held mid-season, preparation for the following year's tournament has, until this year, begun near the start of the calendar year. The preparation "season" for the 2012 World Juniors began this past February with a five-team tournament in Mannheim, Germany, which the Czechs participated in.

This year, perhaps in response to poor results in recent junior-level internatonal tournaments, the Czech Republic and some other European nations have decided to get ready sooner. Preparation for the 2013 World Juniors, which will be held in Ufa, Russia, will begin this week in Strakonice. From Thursday until Saturday, the South-Bohemian town will host a three-team event that includes the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland. Additional events this calendar year will be held in Salzburg, Austria in September and Vaasa, Finland in November.

The biggest name on the Czech roster for the upcoming series will be Martin Frk, a projected first-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Frk was supposed to be in Canada already, preparing for the upcoming QMJHL season, but some unexpected red tape has delayed his arrival. "Martin was supposed to fly to Canada, but had visa trouble," said Czech head coach Jiří Juřík. "We are taking advantage of this, and he is with us in Strakonice and will play in the tournament."

Other CHL players on the Czech roster include Lukáš Sedlák and Matěj Beran, but Frk is the only player who has played in the World Junior Championships, appearing at last year's tournament in Buffalo. Players on other teams who also played include Slovakia's Martin Marinčin and Peter Čeresnak, Germany's Marcel Noebels, and Switzerland's Sven Bärtschi, a first-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames.

From cslh.cz, here is the full Czech roster and tournament schedule:

Goaltenders: Jan Dlouhý (Slavia Praha), Patrik Nechvátal (Litvínov).

Defencemen: Jan Předota (Č. Budějovice), Tomáš Kvapil (Lulea, Sweden), Štěpán Jeník (Slavia Praha), Tomáš Valenta (Zlín), David Roupec (Třinec), Tomáš Pavelka, Michal Žvátora (both Vítkovice).

Forwards: Martin Frk (Halifax, QMJHL), Michal Švihálek, Tomáš Rousek (both Č. Budějovice), Lukáš Sedlák (Chicoutimi, QMJHL), Jaromír Kverka, Petr Koblasa (both K. Vary), Jakub Herman, Radim Matuš (both Třinec), Matěj Beran (PEI, QMJHL), Jiří Půhoný (both Pardubice), Pavel Smolka (Litvínov), Tomáš Fořt (Zlín), Patrik Maďar (Liberec).

General Manager: Jaromír Látal
Head Coach: Jiří Juřík
Assistant Coaches: Karel Mlejnek, Miroslav Přerost, Jiří Fischer
Goaltending Coach: Roman Višňák
Physician: Dr. Miroslav Budoš
Treasurer: Jiří Šrámek

Tournament Schedule:

Thursday, September 4:

16:00 Germany - Switzerland
19:15 Czech Republic - Slovakia

Friday, September 5:

16:00 Slovakia - Germany
19:15 Czech Republic - Switzerland

Saturday, August 6:

14:00 Switzerland - Slovakia
17:15 Czech Republic - Germany

Czech U18s dodge a bullet against Norway

The Czech U18 team entered their game against Norway on Sunday knowing that they could have a spot in the quarterfinals secured by the time the day was over. A win combined with a Finnish victory over Sweden in the evening would accomplish that result.

Beating the 0-2 Norwegians, however, proved to be easier said than done.

The Czechs seemed disorganized off the bat, and surrendered a goal in the third minute to Andreas Heier. "We have to be better prepared at the start of the game," Czech defenceman David Musil would say later.

For the rest of the first, the Czechs dominated, but goaltender Steffen Soberg turned away all 15 shots that he faced, and the Norwegians led 1-0 after a period.

Martin Frk equalized the game 18 seconds into the second period, as he one-timed a nifty pass from Tomáš Hyka on a rush into the zone. Afterward, the Czechs seemed to start playing with greater confidence, and made Soberg come up with some of his best stops of the night. However, with under seven minutes remaining in the middle frame, Norway's Jorgen Karterud picked off a pass and went in alone on Marek Machovský. He buried it to give the lead back to Norway. Tomáš Rousek then tied the game back up late in the period.

The Czechs came at the Norwegians in waves in the third period, with full knowledge that not getting the full 3 points would do serious damage to their chances of advancing. Frk had some of their best chances, getting stopped by Soberg in close and later firing a backhander off the goalpost. In the game, the Czech Republic outshot Norway 51-18, but as the game grew later, the score remained tied.

Finally, with 2:32 to play, the linesman blew down the play in front of the Norwegian bench and signalled that they were guilty of too many players. The Norwegians were not happy with the call, as neither player had played the puck. Nonetheless, the Czechs went to the power play and, in the midst of a scramble in front of the goal, Dmitrij Jaškin grabbed control of the loose puck and shot the puck into a wide open net. With 1:48 remaining, the Czechs had taken their first lead of the game and their players and fans went wild.

Norway never seriously threatened after that, and the Czech Republic got the 3 points they desperately needed.

After winning their game, the Czechs could have clinched a berth in the Playoff round if Finland had beaten Sweden. "Of course we're interested but we can't worry too much about that," said Musil. "We still have another game (against Finland), not tomorrow but the next day, so we have to make sure we're ready for that one."

They will have to be ready for that one, indeed, because Sweden beat Finland 5-2. The Czechs are 3 points ahead of Finland, meaning a single point in what will be each team's last game of the group stage will be enough for the Czechs to advance. If they lose in regulation, they will head to the Relegation Round, as they will have lost the head-to-head game against Finland and would come out on the short end of any three-way tie scenario involving Canada or Sweden

The Czechs play Finland on Wednesday at 15:30 CET (UTC +1). Following that is Canada against Sweden at 19:30, with first place in the group at stake.

Czechs open U18 World Championships with win over Sweden

The word on this year's Czech U18 team is they are not the deepest team and may have some problems scoring goals, but they are hard working and play a strong defensive game as a team. Based on the team's first game of the IIHF U18 World Championship against Sweden, that forecast seems accurate.

It was also stated that the players added to the team's roster since the Five Nations Tournament in Hradec Králové in February would help improve some of the team's shortcomings. Boy, is that ever true.

In the Czech Republic's 2-1 win over Sweden, two of the biggest stories were goaltender Matěj Machovský of the Brampton Battalion and right winger Dmitrij Jaškin of Slavia Praha. Neither played in Hradec Králové.

In the first period, Sweden, who has one of the deepest rosters in the tournament and is projected as a medal favourite, had the Czechs back on their heels for most of the time. The 15-6 edge in shots was indicative of the play, with Machovský stopping 14 of them. It seemed like they would play well enough to keep the score low, but might not generate enough offense to win.

The second period was more wide open, but the flow still heavily favoured Sweden. Marachovský and Niklas Lundstrom were both perfect, and the score remained 1-0 Sweden.

The Swedes didn't help themselves by taking six straight penalties, though. Early in the third, the Czechs finally converted on one. A couple of CHL imports, David Hrbas of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Martin Frk of the Halifax Mooseheads set up Tomáš Kvapil of Swedish club Lulea, whose point shot beat Lundstrom to tie the score. A couple of fouls later, Frk and Hrabas again teamed up to feed Jaškin, who gave the Czechs their first lead of the game with 8:27 remaining.

A physical presence as well as a goal scorer, Jaškin was a bit overzealous at times, and took a couple of penalties, including one for holding with 2:33 remaining. The Swedes were unable to convert, however, and the Czech Republic held on for the win.


The win against a team expected to be at or near the top of the group does wonders for the Czech team's chances of advancing to the quarterfinals. If they can manage another win on Friday against Canada, or even at least a point, it would all but assure them a spot in the top three. Friday's game begins at 19:30 CET (UTC +1). Games against Norway on Sunday and Finland on Tuesday follow. All games in the group are played in Dresden.

For my preview of the IIHF U18 World Championship tournament, check out:

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/12986/several_teams_in_the_mix_at_u18_worlds/

Czechs ready for U18 World Championship

The Czech U18 team has its work cut out for it in the upcoming World Championships in Crimmitschau and Dresden, Germany. Over the past few years, the program has taken some hits and they are placed in a tough group that will make it difficult to advance to the quarterfinals. However, unlike the U20s that played in the USA in December and January and couldn't buy any breaks when assembling their team, the U18s have got all the breaks they could ask for. And they seem ready to prove the nay-sayers wrong.

David Musil is ready to play. Photo:
http://dubnation-news.blogspot.com/.

Back in December, the U20s' top goaltender and top defenceman were declared ineligible, and they lost their two of their most promising 17 year olds, defenceman David Musil and right winger Dmitrij Jaškin, to injuries.

For the U18s, they have no apparent eligibility issues or injury problems so far, and have assembled what is believed to be their best possible roster of players. All five overseas players that were named to the preliminary roster have been eliminated from their leagues' playoffs, and are currently with the team.

Goaltender Matěj Machovský finished the season as a backup for the OHL's Brampton Battalion, and may have a chance to battle for the starting job next season. He's expected to be the starter on this Czech team.  A pair of WHL defencemen, Vancouver's Musil and Edmonton's Marek Hrbas, were both eliminated in the first round of the playoffs and are expected to be key contributors. Also available are forwards Martin Frk of Halifax and Petr Beránek of Barrie.

As well, with the elimination of Slavia Praha from the Extraliga semifinals, Jaškin will be present for the full camp as well. Had Slavia advanced to the finals, he would have been forced to join the team either right before the start of the tournament or even after it started, depending on how long the series lasted.

These players will be welcome additions to a group that competed together at a tournament in Hradec Králové in February. In that tournament, the Czechs went 1-3, and though they were a hard-working group that played a disciplined system under coach Jiří Šolc and didn't get blown out in any game, they were lacking on offence. Jaškin was originally named to that team, but sat out with the Extraliga playoffs looming. When asked at the time about his absence, defenceman Petr Šidlík commented, "Jaškin is a very good shooter, and right now we don't have a goal-scorer like that on the team. It's a problem."

Besides Jaškin, Frk was impressive in the U20 championship, and is expected to be a dominant offensive player at the U18s. And Musil, who is the highest-ranked Czech that is eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, gives them a power-play quarterback and some pressure coming from the back end. 


Joining the Czech Republic in Group B, which plays in Dresden, are Canada, Finland, Norway and Sweden. As only three teams from each group advance, they don't have an easy task ahead of them, as they will need to finish higher than somebody else other than Norway. The team that has been assembled, however, gives them their best chance to do so. The fact that Dresden is only about 30 kilometres from the Czech border might also be a factor in their favour, as they should get better crowd support than any other team in the group.

They play a pre-tournament exhibition game against Slovakia in Litoměřice. The team then travels to Dresden to open the tournament against Sweden on Thursday. Before then, the team still has three more cuts to make; either two forwards and one defenceman or the reverse.

Goaltenders:
 
Patrik Bartošák (Vítkovice), Jaroslav Pavelka (Hradec Králové), Matěj Machovský (Brampton, OHL).

Defencemen:

David Musil (Vancouver, WHL), Marek Hrbas (Edmonton, WHL), Tomáš Kvapil (Lulea, Sweden), Štěpán Jeník, Antonín Růžička (both Slavia Praha), Petr Šidlík, Vojtěch Zadražil (both Jihlava), Tomáš Pavelka (Vítkovice), Ondřej Starý (Pardubice).

Forwards:
 
Martin Frk (Halifax, QMJHL), Petr Beránek (Barrie, OHL), Dmitrij Jaškin, Tomáš Hertl, Tomáš Moravec (all Slavia Praha), Michal Švihálek, Lukáš Sedlák, Tomáš Rousek (all České Budějovice), Matěj Beran (Lulea, Sweden), Jakub Matai (Litvínov), Ondřej Hampl (Sparta Praha), Tomáš Hyka (Mladá Boleslav), Radek Faksa (Třinec), Petr Koblasa (Karlovy Vary).

Head Coach: Jiří Šolc
Assistant Coach: Martin Hosták

Team Manager: Martin Hosták 
Goaltending Coach: Marcel Kučera
Physicians: Dr. Petr Čech, Dr. Tomáš Madrý 
Custodian: František Ptáček
Masseur: Josef Toma

Pre-Tournament Exhibition:

Mon, April 11: Czech Republic - Slovakia (Litoměřice, 17:00)

IIHF U18 World Championship, Group B:

Thu, April 14: Czech Republic - Sweden (Dresden, 19:30)
Fri, April 15: Czech Republic - Canada (Dresden, 19:30)
Sun, April 17: Czech Republic - Norway (Dresden, 15:30)
Tue, April 19: Czech Republic - Finland (Dresden, 15:30)

Czechs finish 7th at WJC

Petr Holík engages in a battle along the boards
against Slovakia. Photo: hokej.cz.

The Czech Republic played its last game of the 2011 IIHF World U20 Championship on Tuesday night, beating Slovakia by a score of 5-2 to finish seventh in the tournament. They were led offensively by captain Jakub Jeřábek (2 assists), Martin Frk, and Andrej Nestrašil (each 1 goal and 1 assist). In goal, Filip Novotný stopped 19 of 21 shots for his second straight win.

Click here to see the official individual statistics, as compiled by the IIHF, for the Czech U20 team at the 2011 World Junior Championships.

Jeřábek was their leader and best player all tournament. The 19-year-old undrafted defenceman led the team offensively with 8 points (1 goal and 7 assists) in 6 games. Collectively, only 1 other point was recorded by a thin Czech defensive unit. Jerábek, who plays full time for HC Plzeň 1929 in the Czech Extraliga, made a strong case for being drafted in 2011, and suitors from the KHL may come calling as well.

Up front, the club was led by 17-year-old Frk. Frk wasn't even on the radar for inclusion on this team at the start of the season, but his strong season in Halifax garnered attention. Frk recorded 3 goals and 3 assists and, since his October birthdate means that he won't be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until 2012, he will almost certainly return next year and be counted on as one of the team's offensive leaders. Michal Hlinka also scored 3 goals and added 1 assist, and Antonín Honejsek had 2 goals and 2 assists.

In goal, the team was definitely hurt by the absence of Petr Mrázek of the Ottawa 67's, and were forced to alternate between Extraliga backups Marek Mazanec and Novotný. While better results may have been expected, they were often getting shelled with a weak blueline in front of them. Mazanec may now face more of the same when he returns to a Plzeň team that has had goaltending and defensive woes all season.

By finishing seventh, the Czech Republic will find itself next season in a group with Canada, the USA, and Finland, with either Denmark or Latvia being the group's fifth team. Again, they will be ranked fourth in their group and facing an uphill battle to reach the quarter-finals, though it may be slightly easier than it was this year.

From this year's club, only Frk, Bohumil Jank, Petr Holík, and Rimouski Oceanic teammates Jakub Culek and Petr Straka will be eligible to return. Dmitrij Jaškin and defenceman David Musil, a pair of 17-year-olds who missed this year's tournament with injuries, are also expected to be there.

Though the Czechs ended up in the relegation round, they were represented in the gold medal game of this tournament. Příbram-native Martin Fraňo was one of the referees of the game in which Russia defeated Canada 5-3 to claim the championship. The 28-year-old Fraňo, who is a referee in the Czech Extraliga, also worked the Canada-USA semi-final. In his early twenties, he spent a year living in Minnesota and worked as a linesman in the junior A-level United States Hockey League. Jaromír Bláha, from Újezd nad Lesy, was a linesman in the tournament and worked the Finland-Russia quarter-final.

Russia wins on NYE and goes to quarters, Czechs to relegation round

Marek Mazanec is unable to prevent Denis Golubev from giving
Russia a 3-1 lead. Photo: Andre Ringuette, HHOF-IIHF Images.

It was a showdown on Silvestr between too old hockey rivals, Russia and the Czech Republic. It was the very last game of Group B at the 2011 World Junior Championships, and there was a lot riding on it. The winner would finish third place in the group and advance to the quarter-finals, while the loser would finish fourth and be sent to the relegation round.

From the start of the tournament, the Czech Republic knew that making the quarter-finals would be a difficult task. And though they appeared so close to advancing, in the end they were so far.

Like they had in their losses to Canada and Sweden, they got off to a quick start, with Jakub Osrava getting the first goal at the 1:53 mark. And like those other games, the wheels came off the bus not long afterward. The Russians scored four goals in under eight minutes in the first period to put the Czechs in a deep hole. After getting pulled after four goals against Sweden, goaltender Marek Mazanec was pulled again on Friday at 6:28 of the second period after allowing six goals on 16 shots. Filip Novotný stopped 11 of 13 shots the rest of the way.

The final score was 8-3, with Petr Straka and Michal Hlinka scoring the second and third goals for the Czechs. In their four group games, the Czech Republic was led in scoring by captain Jakub Jeřábek with 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists). Martin Frk, Antonín Honejsek, and Hlinka each had 3 (2 goals and 1 assist each).


Russia was led in the game by a goal and three assists from captain Vladimir Tarasenko. Dmitri Orlov, Danil Sobchenko, and Yevgeni Kuznetsov each chipped in a goal and two assists.

With the win, Russia advances to the quarter-finals, and they will play Finland on Sunday. The winner will play Sweden, the winner of Group B, on Monday. The other quarter-final, also on Sunday, will feature Canada against Switzerland, with the winner playing Monday against the USA, tournament host and winner of Group A. The bronze and gold medal games will be played Wednesday.

The next task for the Czech team is avoiding relegation. They are joined in the group by Norway, Germany, and Slovakia. The top two teams will stay in the top group and play in next year's World Junior Championship in Calgary and Edmonton, AB. The bottom two will drop to the Division 1 tournament, their spots in the top tournament to be taken by Denmark and Latvia.

The Czech Republic's 2-0 win over Norway carries over into the relegation round, as does Slovakia's 2-1 overtime victory against Germany. Therefore, the Czechs currently lead the group with 3 points, followed by Slovakia with 2, Germany with 1, and Norway with 0. The Czechs play against Germany on Sunday and against Slovakia on Tuesday. A win in at least one of those games will be enough for the Czech Republic to remain in the top group.

Czechs fall to Sweden, face all-important game vs Russia on New Year's Eve

Jakub Jeřábek tries to protect the puck against
Swedish pressure. Photo: hokej.cz.

It is said that the two powerhouses in Group B are Canada and Sweden. The performance of the Czech Republic against each team seems to bear an uncanny resemblance.

As they did against Canada, the Czechs struck early against Sweden, this time it was Milan Hlinka on a power play at 3:09. But then Sweden's Johan Larsson answered on a power-play of their own. As was the case against Canada, when they gave up a short-handed goal on a five-minute power-play, the biggest blow came when the Czechs trailed 2-1. This time, the knee-capping goal came when Jesper Fasth's seemingly harmless shot along the ice beat Marek Mazanec and Sweden took at 3-1 lead to the first intermission.

After the lead was increased to 4-1, Czech coach Miroslav Přerost made the curious move of replacing Mazanec with Filip Novotný in goal. With an all-important game against Russia coming tomorrow, it would seem that playing a rested Novotný would be the most sensible way to go if he was unhappy with Mazanec's performance. In any event, Novotný was beaten on the first shot he faced and Fasth had his second of the game to make it 5-1.

Just when all hope seemed lost, 17-year-old Martin Frk struck twice to bring the Czechs within two at the second intermission. His first was an impressive wrist shot that beat Swedish goaltender Fredrik Petersson-Wentzel to the stick side and the second was a slapshot from the point on a power-play. Both of his goals were assisted by team captain Jakub Jeřábek. Frk was thrown out of the Czechs' last game when he was penalized for spearing, and it was initially not clear if he would be able to play this game.

Eventually, it was all for naught, Sweden won 6-3, meaning they will face Canada on Friday in a showdown for first place in the group and an automatic berth in the semi-finals. As for the Czechs, they face Russia on Friday and, assuming Russia beats Noway, the game will determine which team gets third place in the group and advances to the quarter-finals and who will be sent to the relegation round. In Europe, the game will actually begin in the new year, at 1:00 CET on ČT4 Sport.

Click here to watch the Czech Republic-Sweden game in its entirety.

Šenkeřík won't play vs Sweden, Frk will

Petr Šenkeřík, seen here in the tournament opener against Norway,
won't play Thursday. Photo: Andre Ringuette, HHOF-IIHF Images.

After being carried off on a stretcher during Tuesday's game against Canada, IIHF.com's Martin Merk is reporting that Czech defenceman Petr Šenkeřík is feeling better, but is still feeling the effects of a slight concussion and won't play Thursday against Sweden.

“Luckily, it’s not as bad as it looked yesterday,” the Czech team’s general manager Petr Komers said. “He feels better, but he won’t play tomorrow.”

19-year-old Šenkeřík, who split last season between the WHL's Kootenay Ice and Prince George Cougars, now plays in the Czech First League with HC Rebel Havlíčkův Brod. He was unconscious and wheeled off on a stretcher after being hit by Canada's Zack Kassian in the second period of Canada's 7-2 win. Though it did not appear that Kassian intentionally targeted Šenkeřík's head, he caught him with a hard shoulder to the chin at high speed. According to IIHF rules, any hit to the head or neck area must be penalized, and anything causing injury carries the minimum of a major penalty and game misconduct.

Kassian received an automatic one-game suspension when he was assessed a match penalty on the play by the referees. He was further suspended an additional game by tournament disciplinarian Dan Marouelli, which will keep him out of action for the remainder of the tournament's group stage. The tournament has come down hard on checks to the head in this tournament, with two Slovak players, Martin Marinčin and Peter Hraško, each given three- and two-game suspensions for incidents in their game against the USA.

It's not known if or when Šenkeřík will return in the 2011 World Junior Championships, but it has been confirmed that Martin Frk will not face further disciplinary action after being assessed a major penalty for spearing and a game misconduct in the third period of the same game. Kromers and the Czechs were originally informed that Frk would not be allowed to play against Sweden, "but we were told that the tournament directorate will not penalize Frk further. He was given a warning, but he can play."

Frk, who just turned 17 in October, is the youngest player on the Czech team. The Halifax Moosehead was the leading rookie scorer in the QMJHL at the time he left for the Czech U20 team camp and won't be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until 2012. He wasn't added to the team's preliminary roster until Dmitrij Jaškin was forced out with a knee injury.

The Czech Republic (1-1) faces Sweden (2-0) Thursday at 3pm Eastern Time, 21:00 Central European Time. The game can be followed on TSN and RDS (Canada), NHL Network (USA), ČT4 Sport (Czech Republic), or Eurosport 2 (Europe).

Czech WJC roster trimmed to 28

Martin Frk of the Halifax Moosheads is on the Czech national
junior team's 28-man roster.

Czech national junior coach Miroslav Přerost has trimmed the original 41-man roster, named last month, to 28. It will be down to 23 by the start of the IIHF World U20 Championships in Buffalo, NY on December 26.

The roster now includes three goaltenders, 10 defencemen, and 15 forwards. It is expected that two more defenceman and three more forwards will yet be trimmed, although three defenceman and two forwards is also possible.

Of the 28 remaining, 14 play in the Czech Republic and 14 in North America. Of the 14 domestic players, 10 play in the Tipsport Extraliga and four play in the First National League. Of the 14 North American players, seven play in the QMJHL, five in the WHL, and two in the OHL.

One player remaining on the roster is Martin Frk of the Halifax Mooseheads. Frk, who isn't eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until 2012, wasn't a consideration early on, but earned a spot onto the Czech preliminary roster when Dmitrij Jaškin pulled out with an injury. Frk is currently the leading rookie scorer in the QMJHL.

There are five returning players from last year's tournament still on the roster. They are goaltender Filip Novotný, defencemen Jakub Jeřábek and Oldřich Horák, and forwards Andrej Nestrašil and Michal Hlinka. Michal Poletín of Slavia Praha was on last year's team that finished 7th, but has now been cut to the team's reserve roster.

Of the remaining players, only four have been drafted by NHL teams. Nestrašil in the third round by Detroit in 2009, and taken in 2010 were Petr Mrázek by Detroit in the third round, Jakub Culek by Ottawa and Adam Polášek by Vancouver, both in the fifth round.

The players will convene in Detroit for a brief camp starting on December 15 and will play in two pre-tournament games in Rochester, NY before the final 23-man roster is named on December 23. The Czech Republic will open the tournament against Norway on December 27.

Here is the 28-man roster as posted at the Czech Ice Hockey Association's website:

Goaltenders:

Marek Mazanec (Plzeň), Filip Novotný (Sparta Praha), Petr Mrázek (Ottawa, OHL).

Defencemen:

Jakub Jeřábek (Plzeň), Petr Šenkeřík (H. Brod), Dalibor Řezníček, Martin Matějíček (both Zlín), Adam Polášek (P.E.I., QMJHL), Adam Sedlák (Ottawa, OHL), Martin Pláněk (Znojmo), David Musil (Vancouver, WHL), Oldřich Horák (Hradec Králové), Marek Hrbas (Edmonton, WHL).

Forwards:

Robin Soudek (Chilliwack, WHL), Roman Horák (Chilliwack, WHL), Andrej Nestrašil (P.E.I., QMJHL), Ondřej Palát (Drummondville, QMJHL), Martin Frk (Halifax, QMJHL), Petr Holík (Zlín), Jakub Orsava (Třinec), Michal Hlinka (Vítkovice), David Tůma (Sparta Praha), Antonín Honejsek (Moose Jaw, WHL), Jakub Culek, Petr Straka (both Rimouski, QMJHL), Tomáš Rachůnek (Znojmo), Tomáš Filippi (Quebec, QMJHL), Radim Heřman (Č. Budějovice).

Reserves:

Tadeáš Galanský (Saginaw, OHL), Tomáš Král (Lillehammer, Norsko), Bohumil Jank (Č. Budějovice), Michael Zacpálek (Sparta Praha), Petr Kousalík (Litvínov), Michal Poletín (Slavia Praha), Rostislav Marosz (Třinec), Adam Havlík (Znojmo), Jakub Šlahař (Zlín).

General Manager: Petr Komers
Head Coach: Miroslav Přerost
Assistant Coaches: Jiří Fischer, Terry Christensen 
Goaltender Coach: Roman Višňák
Video Coach: Jan Procházka 
Physician: Dr. Jaroslav Budín
Treasurer, Masseur: Leoš Mitáček, Vladimír Malý

Jaškin out, Frk added to preliminary WJC roster

It's a tale of two 17 year olds on the Czech Republic's initial 41-man roster for the World Junior Championships. The player who is perhaps their top domestic hopeful is out, while a rising star currently playing in Canada is in.

A knee injury will cause Dmitrij Jaškin to miss the World Junior
Championships. Photo: Pavel Vrtiška, hc-slavia.cz.

Dmitrij Jaškin, who has 8 points in 23 games for HC Slavia Praha this season, injured his knee on Sunday when he was hit by Jindřich Kotrla of HC Vagnerplast Kladno in Kladno's 3-1 victory.

Though no penalty was called on the play by the on-ice officials, the APK has handed Kotrla a three-game suspension for the knee-on-knee hit.

At the club's website, www.hc-slavia.cz, coach Vladimír Růžička speculated that Jaškin would likely be out five or six weeks and return to the lineup in early January, at best. This would rule out participation in the WJC.

Jaškin is currently the highest scorer among junior-aged players in the Extraliga, so his loss hurts. The 17-year-old made a strong case for his inclusion on the World Junior team a couple of weeks ago in a U20 tournament in České Budějovice and Karlovy Vary. There he was one of the offensive stars of the Czech team, recording a hat-trick against Russia in the tournament opener. 2011 will be the first year that he will be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft.

Jaškin's spot on the preliminary 41-man roster has been replaced by Martin Frk, who plays for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. The 17-year-old right winger has 10 goals and 19 assists in 26 games for the Mooseheads this season. His 29 points leads his team and also all rookies in the league. As his October 5 birthday is after the cut-off, he won't be eligible for the Draft until 2012, and the season he's having is starting to make his name mentioned among that year's top prospects.

As for Slavia, they have suffered a rash of injuries as of late, and the loss of Jaškin only compounds the problems. They took to the ice without Jaškin on Wednesday night and, after spotting HC Oceláři Třínec a 3-1 lead, came back to win in a shoot-out. The comeback spoiled a three-goal effort from Třínec's Ladislav Kohn.