What Would Czcehia’s Team Have Looked Like At The 4 Nations Face-Off?

By Jack Klinck, The Hockey News intern

As the 4 Nations Face-Off winds down in Boston, some fans might be wondering why the No. 4 team in the IIHF men’s world rankings isn’t in the tournament.

Despite being the reigning World Champions, Czechia wasn’t invited beforehand to suit up against the rest of the world’s top hockey countries.

But what if they had been asked to play? Boasting stars such as David Pastrnak and Martin Necas, with emerging goaltender Lukas Dostal, Czechia has the talent to be competitive on the world stage. They’ve proven it as of late, too, medalling in two of the past three World Championships, taking gold at last year’s tournament and capturing bronze in 2022.

One challenge for the Czechs was their lack of representation in the NHL. Because the 4 Nations Face-Off is not associated with the IIHF, the rosters must be made up completely of players with NHL contracts who are on NHL rosters.

Some of the country’s top talent doesn’t play in the NHL. Czechia’s top four leading scorers from last year’s gold medal-winning team at the Worlds all play in Europe and could not be called upon for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Czech captain Roman Cervenka led the team in scoring with three goals and 11 points in 10 games at the World Championship. With Pastrnak, Necas and Pavel Zacha joining partway through the tournament after tendeding to the NHL playoffs, Cervenka took home IIHF player of the year honors.

Not being able to bring their best players wasn’t the only problem for Czechia. While they can find 20 skaters, there are only five Czech-born defensemen who have played in the NHL this year.

With the NHL announcing the return of the World Cup of Hockey in 2028, it’s only a matter of time before we see the Czechs in an NHL-run best on best tournament.

But what would Team Czechia have looked like in the 4 Nations Face-Off? If we cheat a bit – we’re going to – and forget about the NHL roster rule, it takes a few AHL defensemen on NHL contracts to make the team work. Here’s a potential roster for Team Czechia:

Forwards

Ondrej Palat – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

Jiri Kulich – Tomas Hertl – Martin Necas

Filip Chytil – David Kampf – Radek Faksa

Jakub Vrana – Tomas Nosek – Jakub Lauko

Extra: Ivan Ivan

In a short tournament, the Czechs keep their top line from last year’s World Championship together, featuring Bruins teammates Zacha and Pastrnak.

On the second line, Kulich last played internationally when he captained Czechia to a bronze medal at the 2024 world juniors. The Buffalo Sabres rookie, combined with breakout star Necas and veteran center Hertl, would give the Czechs a two-headed monster of legitimate top six forwards.

The Kampf-centered third line is Czechia’s best shot at a defensive checking unit. While depth isn’t Czechia’s strength, a former 20-goal scorer in Vrana with the veteran Nosek and pesky Lauko rounds out a solid fourth line. And Colorado Avalanche rookie Ivan can step in as an extra if needed.

Defense

Jan Rutta – Filip Hronek

Radko Gudas – David Jiricek

John Ludvig – David Spacek

Extra: Filip Kral

Czechia’s weak spot is its defense corps.

Hronek is the clear No. 1 guy. Since being traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23, Hronek and partner Quinn Hughes have formed one of the NHL’s best pairings. While Rutta is no Hughes, he’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning who spent time playing on the team’s top duo with Victor Hedman.

While it hasn’t worked out in the NHL for Jiricek just yet, the Wild D-man was a point-per-game player for Czechia at the 2023 world juniors. Paired with veteran bruiser Gudas, the two comprise a solid second pair. Ludvig, the last NHL player in this group, is matched with Wild prospect Spacek, who led Czechia’s D-men in scoring with five points in 10 games in their gold-medal run, to round out a thin defensive group.

Kral, who’s under contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has two games of NHL experience as the seventh defenseman.

The Hockey News – Could A Team Czechoslovakia Have Contended At The 4-Nations Face-Off? David Pastrnak had an interesting idea to form a potentially formidable Team Czechoslovakia for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. Could this team have be a contender?

Goalies

Lukas Dostal

Karel Vejmelka

Jakub Dobes

What Czechia lacks on the back end, they make up with in goaltending.

After leading the Czechs to gold on the world stage with a .939 save percentage and three shutouts, Dostal sits fourth in the NHL in goals saved above expected with 20.2, according to moneypuck.com. He has been one of the bright spots on a weak Anaheim Ducks team. Not many goalies in the game come better than Dostal.

With 10.5 goals saved above expected and a .909 save percentage, Vejmelka makes for a solid backup option. Rounding out the Czech’s three goalies is Montreal Canadiens rookie sensation Dobes. As the third goalie, the 23-year-old likely wouldn’t suit up, but the experience would be valuable for one of Czechia’s future goaltenders.

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