WJC: 2023 Czech Team

[Goodman68]

Surprised no marek alscher

There are no nominations yet. But I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't there. We already discussed it here, maybe he is not popular among the coaches..

 

[Goodman68]

Mysak is irreplaceable but every one of those highlighted players will be better this time around.
Jiricek is in great form (wasn’t even close last tourney).
Kulich has definitely taken another step.
Szturc as well.
Svozil is playing great.
Overall I think they’re better this time around. Will be interesting to see if it translates to a better overall result. I would say doubtful.

In theory it is. We will see how it will be in practice, last time most players played above expectations. I prefer not to expect anything because it's better that way. Any expectations bring only disappointment in the result in Czech hockey. I expect minimal changes in defense, probably not one of Němec will be in the lineup, in attack as it is written, Šalé and Brabenec should clearly be nominated, maybe Melovský. The main thing will be that they play with the same commitment, Rulík deserves praise for the last tournament, he did a really good job and if Jiříček joins us, who was one of the few who played badly, then we can surprise.

 

[Goodman68]

Rosters:
Brankáři (3):
Daniel Král (Liberec), Oliver Šatný (Cape Breton, QMJHL), Tomáš Suchánek (Tri-City, WHL).

Obránci (9):
David Špaček (Sherbrooke, QMJHL), Marek Alscher (Portland, WHL), Jiří Ticháček (Kladno), David Jiříček (Cleveland, AHL), Aleš Čech (Oulu, Finsko), Ondřej Chabada (Pardubice), David Moravec (Halifax, QMJHL), Tomáš Hamara (Kitchener, OHL), Stanislav Svozil (Regina, WHL).

Útočníci (15):
Adam Měchura (Tri-City, WHL), Jakub Brabenec (Charlottetown, QMJHL), Lukáš Pajer (Hradec Králové), Jakub Kos (Ilves Tampere, Finsko), Marcel Marcel (Gatineau, QMJHL), Petr Hauser (Sparta Praha), Matouš Menšík (Olomouc), Ondřej Becher (Prince George, WHL), Robin Sapoušek (Karovy Vary), Jaroslav Chmelař (Providence College, NCAA), Matyáš Šapovaliv (Saginaw, OHL), Jiří Kulich (Rochester, AHL), Martin Ryšavý (Moose Jaw, WHL), Gabriel Szturc (Kelowna, WHL), Eduard Šalé (Kometa Brno).

 

[Czechboy]

Here is the pretty graphic



I'm not sure if I see anything shocking? The D is what I thought it'd be and we even get Alscher so we could have 5 drafted D back there. I know nothing about Chabada... anyone tell me his deal? I'm seeing it as:
Spacek, Jiricek, Svozil, Hamara are locks... then Alscher/Tichachek/Moravec to fill in. That's a nice crew.

Goalies I was thinking Hrabal would be named? Is this Kral related to THE Kral? Nepotism?
Not awful goaltending but I doubt the other nations are terrified or Suchanek and Satny. 3 undrafted goalies I think? I thought we had a bunch of drafted goalies in this age group?

Forwards - I'm currently not seeing any ommisions that are upsetting? It's a good group of guys but maybe only 3 will ever play 1 game in the NHL. Hope I'm wrong. In good news, should be a balanced attack with a balanced Top 9. Do have some PP guys.

It seems quite good with only 1 injury (so far) in Dvorak who would've had it tough to beat out Alscher/Tichachek/Moravec.

 

[Czechboy]

Here are the substitutes... maybe Hamrla or Hrabal over Kral? Hujer or Melovsky? Not seeing any controversy. They also said that the team will not be 100 percent on Kulich and Jiricek till it's closer. So not 100% just yet for those 2.

 

[Czechboy]

View attachment 619803

That's the summer roster that finished 4th... almost all of it is eligible to come back including the entire D core and our eventual starter. Biggest losses are Mysak and Gut. Are Sale and Brabenec enough to offset that?

It's amazing to say but we will be cutting some good Dmen which has maybe never happened before. Moravec is also availalbe and they like him.

Cuts from summer team that were eligible.. Nemec x 2 on D. Hercik and Chmelar. That's it I think. 18 of the nominated players have already been to a WJHC. It's now an experienced team.

I would've liked to have seen Hrabal as a 3 and that is my only gripe.

 

[Goodman68]

Here is the pretty graphic



I'm not sure if I see anything shocking? The D is what I thought it'd be and we even get Alscher so we could have 5 drafted D back there. I know nothing about Chabada... anyone tell me his deal? I'm seeing it as:
Spacek, Jiricek, Svozil, Hamara are locks... then Alscher/Tichachek/Moravec to fill in. That's a nice crew.

Goalies I was thinking Hrabal would be named? Is this Kral related to THE Kral? Nepotism?
Not awful goaltending but I doubt the other nations are terrified or Suchanek and Satny. 3 undrafted goalies I think? I thought we had a bunch of drafted goalies in this age group?

Forwards - I'm currently not seeing any ommisions that are upsetting? It's a good group of guys but maybe only 3 will ever play 1 game in the NHL. Hope I'm wrong. In good news, should be a balanced attack with a balanced Top 9. Do have some PP guys.

It seems quite good with only 1 injury (so far) in Dvorak who would've had it tough to beat out Alscher/Tichachek/Moravec.

He's not the son of the former chairman of the association, I just checked to make sure.. I also didn't expect this trio of goalkeepers, but what do I know, goalkeepers are alchemy..
In defense (I am satisfied with the fact that Alscher got a chance) Ticháček is also a lock, it was not for nothing that he was with the coach and on the press. Chabada and Král were the two players who received praise after the last tournament in November. But even Chabada is on the edge of the lineup, anyway, these are nice problems, there is a lot to choose from in defense, although I haven't seen some of those players play.
The attack is what it is and we have to pray that they repeat the past championship and play above expectations..

 

[Goodman68]

Here are the substitutes... maybe Hamrla or Hrabal over Kral? Hujer or Melovsky? Not seeing any controversy. They also said that the team will not be 100 percent on Kulich and Jiricek till it's closer. So not 100% just yet for those 2.

I thought Melovsky would be in the nomination, he doesn't have bad stats. But I've never seen him play.

 

[Czechboy]

He's not the son of the former chairman of the association, I just checked to make sure.. I also didn't expect this trio of goalkeepers, but what do I know, goalkeepers are alchemy..
In defense (I am satisfied with the fact that Alscher got a chance) Ticháček is also a lock, it was not for nothing that he was with the coach and on the press. Chabada and Král were the two players who received praise after the last tournament in November. But even Chabada is on the edge of the lineup, anyway, these are nice problems, there is a lot to choose from in defense, although I haven't seen some of those players play.
The attack is what it is and we have to pray that they repeat the past championship and play above expectations..

Which goalies were you expecting?

I'm not upset and am fine with our trio but I was thinkin Suchanek, Hamrla and Hrabal (which may be worse than what they picked). First time we dont' have a drafted goalie that I can remember.

 

[Goodman68]

Which goalies were you expecting?

I'm not upset and am fine with our trio but I was thinkin Suchanek, Hamrla and Hrabal (which may be worse than what they picked). First time we dont' have a drafted goalie that I can remember.

Yeah, I was waiting to see if Hrabal would get a chance. Otherwise, I don't even know if there is any other goalkeeper that would come into consideration.

 

[Wooren]

I thought Melovsky would be in the nomination, he doesn't have bad stats. But I've never seen him play.

Not good enough skater, at least not yet. He also needs to play top 6/PP minutes, and he is not better than the other options this team has.

Next year I think he will make it though.

 

[Czechboy]

Zaruba seems unhappy... only 8 Czechs from Czech leagues seems to be the cause of the anger. I could be misreading it though. To be honest, the biggest complaint I've read (other than Hrabal) is that a dude named Haas wasn't named because he has a bunch of points in the Chance League. I don't know enough about him to think it was an ommision though.

 

[BigBadBoar]

Nomination quite as expected. No big surprises here. The forwards look more or less similar like in the last couple of years in the terms of quality, defensemen look definitely best in many years. There is no extraordinary goalie prospect but Suchánek is a pretty decent goalie.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Looking through your roster, it looks like this will be a pretty strong team with a lot of solid returning players. Is that the consensus among the Czech fans?

I wouldn't be surprised to see them compete for a medal.

 

[BigBadBoar]

Looking through your roster, it looks like this will be a pretty strong team with a lot of solid returning players. Is that the consensus among the Czech fans?

I wouldn't be surprised to see them compete for a medal.

Czech fans in general are traditionally sceptical about this tournament because the last medal was in 2005 (I believe), so most of them expect but yet another blowout. People who are following junior hockey are not so sceptical, in particular pointing at the very solid defense.

 

[Czechboy]

Looking through your roster, it looks like this will be a pretty strong team with a lot of solid returning players. Is that the consensus among the Czech fans?

I wouldn't be surprised to see them compete for a medal.

The D is beautiful.. I actually think guys like Jiricek/Svozil/Hamara and maybe Spacek would be good enough to make the Big 5 rosters. Alscher was drafted in first 100 and he's not even guaranteed ice time. It's a nice core. Honestly, might be our best Dcore in 20 years.

The goalies are fine but there is no Walstedt in this group and they may all end up being Extraliga goalies. Time will tell. I like Suchanek in summer and he's used to playing for a weaker team.

I should say I'd take a team with stronger D over stronger F's every time.

Our forward group is a bit weak. No glaring weaknesses to my eye. But we may be relying on 17 and 18 year olds like Sale and Kulich to carry the offense.

Same coach and about 80% of the team has already been at a tourney is also a bonus.

I don't think we are a medal threat as we have a very tough crossover unless we can beat Canada (done once in the last 20 years) or Sweden in a round robin (do they ever lose in round robins?). But if we can pull of a upset in round robin (20% chance) and beat the Germans and Austria then we got a shot at the medal round.

Other hope is that it all comes together in a Quarterfinal against US or Finland - also possible but they are both deeper than us.

So I think we project to be the 5th best team but, you know, shit happens and that's why we play the game.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Czech fans in general are traditionally sceptical about this tournament because the last medal was in 2005 (I believe), so most of them expect but yet another blowout. People who are following junior hockey are not so sceptical, in particular pointing at the very solid defense.

Yeah really really strong on D, and also some really nice talent up front with guys like Kulich & Sale, with solid depth in guys like Sapovaliv, Chmelar, Hauser, Rysavy, Kos etc. I expect Kulich to have a huge tournament.

I also thought Suchanek was also excellent last year, and would expect more of the same this year.

You'll miss Mysak, but beyond that I think this team is a fair amount stronger than they were last year.

Honestly, I don't see a lot separating Czechia from Sweden and Finland, at least on paper.

The D is beautiful.. I actually think guys like Jiricek/Svozil/Hamara and maybe Spacek would be good enough to make the Big 5 rosters. Alscher was drafted in first 100 and he's not even guaranteed ice time. It's a nice core. Honestly, might be our best Dcore in 20 years.

The goalies are fine but there is no Walstedt in this group and they may all end up being Extraliga goalies. Time will tell. I like Suchanek in summer and he's used to playing for a weaker team.

I should say I'd take a team with stronger D over stronger F's every time.

Our forward group is a bit weak. No glaring weaknesses to my eye. But we may be relying on 17 and 18 year olds like Sale and Kulich to carry the offense.

Same coach and about 80% of the team has already been at a tourney is also a bonus.

I don't think we are a medal threat as we have a very tough crossover unless we can beat Canada (done once in the last 20 years) or Sweden in a round robin (do they ever lose in round robins?). But if we can pull of a upset in round robin (20% chance) and beat the Germans and Austria then we got a shot at the medal round.

Other hope is that it all comes together in a Quarterfinal against US or Finland - also possible but they are both deeper than us.

So I think we project to be the 5th best team but, you know, shit happens and that's why we play the game.

I think you are clearly no worse than 5th. A QF matchup against Finland would be very winnable IMO (or even the US, as last year showed). But I wouldn't put it past you guys to finish 2nd in your group above Sweden either.

 

[Goodman68]

Yeah really really strong on D, and also some really nice talent up front with guys like Kulich & Sale, with solid depth in guys like Sapovaliv, Chmelar, Hauser, Rysavy, Kos etc. I expect Kulich to have a huge tournament.

I also thought Suchanek was also excellent last year, and would expect more of the same this year.

You'll miss Mysak, but beyond that I think this team is a fair amount stronger than they were last year.

Honestly, I don't see a lot separating Czechia from Sweden and Finland, at least on paper.


I think you are clearly no worse than 5th. A QF matchup against Finland would be very winnable IMO (or even the US, as last year showed). But I wouldn't put it past you guys to finish 2nd in your group above Sweden either.

If we continue with the summer tournament, we can also attack for a medal. But the question is whether we can really do it. On paper, we have a really good defense, the attack is average (but can be very solid, just like last time) and the goaltending is really a question that will be answered in the games. We can simply surprise again, but the top 5 teams are, according to assumptions, more balanced and better.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Suchanek the starter?

 

[Czechboy]

Suchanek the starter?

I think so... and he's fine. Satny would be equivalent. I don't know a thing about Kral. I find goalies switching rink sizes can be very challenging so I assume the CHL based goalies will be the 2 starters and they'll go back and forth. Wouldn't be surprised if we saw all 3 tbh. I don't think it's a strong threesome but no one really has an oustanding goalie this year. I don't think our guys are necessarily worse than anyone else this year.

 

[Czechboy]

Side rant.. I hate Hadamczak in Czech hockey. It looks like his big focus is audting eveyrone and exposing Kral (who I assume he hates.lol). He keeps saying for Junior hockey. He's inspecting how much was spent on cars and gear. And then all that money will go to the young kids. I'm not buying it. He's a successful businessman and might be a great auditor! This might help with corruption but I'm not so sure he's not a corrupt person himself.lol

 

[Pandaman11]

Too bad that he has aged out, I'd have loved seeing Ivan Ivan and Marcel Marcel on the same line

 

[Czechboy]

Too bad that he has aged out, I'd have loved seeing Ivan Ivan and Marcel Marcel on the same line

So would our opponents.lol

 

[Elias40]

Hokej plánuje rozšířit extraligu juniorů! Chystáme lepší formát s těžšími zápasy, tvrdí Hadamczik - Sport.cz

Po razantním zeštíhlení by se měla hokejová extraliga juniorů už od příští sezóny znovu rozšířit. Sportovní komise Českého hokeje, kterou nově ustanovil šéf svazu Alois Hadamczik, připravila pro lednové jednání výkonného výboru návrh na zvýšení počtu týmů v soutěži ze čtrnácti na šestnáct.

www.sport.cz

Incredibly funny Czech federation., they never disappoint me and always come up with something new.

 

[Czechboy]

Hokej plánuje rozšířit extraligu juniorů! Chystáme lepší formát s těžšími zápasy, tvrdí Hadamczik - Sport.cz

Po razantním zeštíhlení by se měla hokejová extraliga juniorů už od příští sezóny znovu rozšířit. Sportovní komise Českého hokeje, kterou nově ustanovil šéf svazu Alois Hadamczik, připravila pro lednové jednání výkonného výboru návrh na zvýšení počtu týmů v soutěži ze čtrnácti na šestnáct.

www.sport.cz

Incredibly funny Czech federation., they never disappoint me and always come up with something new.

I can't stand Hadamczak and have no faith in him.

This move seems like madness to me. All he is talking about is saving money and auditing which may be necessary but it feels like we hired a nerdy accountant and not a hockey man.