World Cup of Hockey 2016 Team Czech Republic Roster Prediction
By Ryan Ritchie
World Cup of Hockey – Team Czech Republic 16-Player Roster Prediction
No offence to the Czech Republic, but they head into the World Cup of Hockey with the lowest odds of winning. They will still be competitive, but lack both the star power and depth, when most other nations boast at least one.
Don’t be surprised if they look to Europe to help fill voids on the back-end. Several talented Czech blueliners play in the KHL.
It should be the last hurrah for future Hall-of-Famer Jaromir Jagr on the International stage (or, perhaps not?). He continues to reach all-time milestones, surpassing NHL legends. Jagr should go down as one of the best all-time, and easily the best European hockey player ever.
Coaching Staff:
Tomas Kral, President (Czech Ice Hockey Federation President)
Martin Urban, General Secretary (Czech Ice Hockey Federation General Secretary)
Slavomir Lener, General Manager (Czech Men’s National Team GM)
Jan Cerny, Director of Operations (2014 Czech Olympic Team Manager)
Rules and Format:
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2016 NHL World Cup of Hockey will feature eight teams (Team Canada, Team USA, Team Russia, Team Sweden, Team Czech Republic, Team Finland, Team North America, Team Europe). The tournament will be held in September 2016, and is a group effort with the NHL and NHLPA, in association with International Ice Hockey Federation.
The rules differ from that of IIHF held tournaments, and will follow NHL rules, with games being played on NHL-sized ice surfaces. Because of the league’s involvement, fans can expect to see far less European players than we’re used to seeing at World Championships or Olympics in the 2016 NHL World Cup of Hockey.
Previous World Cup of Hockey roster predictions and more in-depth information can be found here.
16-Player Roster Predictions:
| Team Canada | Team North America | Team Europe | Team Sweden |
| Team Russia | Team Finland | Team Czech Republic | Team USA |
2016 NHL World Cup of Hockey – Rosters and Groupings:
23 players, 20 skaters, 3 goalies
Group A: Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, Team Europe, Team USA
Group B: Team Finland, Team North America, Team Russia, Team Sweden
More puck prose: Vezina Trophy: Top 10 Nominees
2016 NHL World Cup of Hockey – Team Czech Republic 16-Player Roster Projection:
G Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings
G Michal Neuvirth, Philadelphia Flyers
G Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg Jets
D Marek Zidlicky, New York Islanders
D Roman Polak, Toronto Maple Leafs
D Andrej Sustr, Tampa Bay Lightning
F David Krejci, Boston Bruins
F Jaromir Jagr, Florida Panthers
F Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers
F Martin Hanzal, Arizona Coyotes
F Jiri Hudler, Calgary Flames
F Michael Frolik, Calgary Flames
F Ondrej Palat, Tampa Bay Lightning
F Tomas Plekanec, Montreal Canadiens
F Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
F Ales Hemsky, Dallas Stars
The only European goaltender that can replace Neuvirth or Pavelec (if they so choose) is KHL’s Alexander Salak. They also have one more NHL option in Marek Mazanec. It doesn’t matter who else they carry beyond Petr Mrazek – as he’ll be heavily depended upon.
All three defensemen named above should be on the 23-man roster, regardless of whether they’re named on Wednesday. Other names vying for roster spots are Michal Rozsival, Michal Jordan, Ondrej Nemec (KHL), Jan Kolar (KHL), Jakub Nakladal, Jakub Kovar (KHL), and Jakub Krejcik (Sweden).
Next: Ilya Kovalchuk Threatens Team With NHL Return
Up front, the Czech’s are full of second line quality NHL talent – other than Jagr and Voracek, obviously. Expect the other seven names listed to be part of the final 23-man roster. Other players looking for a roster slot include, David Pastrnak, Radim Vrbata, Tomas Fleischmann, Milan Michalek, Andrej Nestrasil, Dmitrij Jaskin, Jiri Sekac, Radek Faksa, Patrik Elias (if not retired), Jiri Tlusty, Roman Cervenka (Czech Republic), Jiri Novotny (KHL), Vladimir Sobotka (KHL), Dominik Simon, Jan Kovar (KHL) and Martin Havlat.