Czechia Rebuilt Its World Juniors Contender Status — And Developed A Rivalry With Canada

Czechia hadn’t won back-to-back medals at the world juniors in a quarter-century.

That was until last year, when Czechia pinned a shocking 3-2 upset against Canada in the quarterfinals en route to a bronze medal, preventing the Canadians from medalling for the first time since 2019.

The memory still brings a smile to St. Louis Blues prospect Jakub Stancl’s face — he netted the game-winning goal with 11.7 seconds remaining in the third period to stun the Canadians.

After losing to Canada 3-2 in a pre-tournament game on Dec. 23, he’d be more than happy for another chance to silence the fans at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

“It would be amazing for sure, big crowd, loud crowd — against us, though — but it would be pretty special to play against them,” Stancl said.

This time around, perhaps it wouldn’t be such an upset given how strong Czechia has played through its Group B schedule.

The Czechs were undefeated against Switzerland, Kazakhstan and Slovakia, posting a tournament-best plus-16 goal differential. That set them up for a pivotal New Year’s Eve clash with Sweden for the top spot, where they lost 4-2.

Add that to Czechia’s medal finishes the past two years, and captain Eduard Sale believes his country has earned contender status.

“The last few years, we played pretty good in the tournaments,” the Seattle Kraken first-rounder said. “We were second in Halifax and last year bronze in Sweden… so we'll have some respect, more than before.”

That silver medal in 2023 was a heart-breaking 3-2 overtime defeat to Canada, making Czechia’s quarterfinal revenge last year that much sweeter.

Heading into the 2025 world juniors, Czechia wasn’t considered a top-tier contender for gold because of the lack of standout NHL prospects. However, with surprise offensive producers like Stancl, a fourth-round pick, and Vojtech Hradec, a Utah Hockey Club sixth-rounder, along with depth scoring, they look more formidable so far than Canada's plethora of NHL draftees.

Stancl admitted the team’s 14-2 win over Kazakhstan — in which he scored three goals and two assists — was not against a front-runner, but their matchup with Sweden will have allowed them to take the next step.

Sale said his team’s success is built on its speed and forechecking ability.

“We need to have the defensive side, but I will say (our) forecheck and offensive side is better,” he said.

“If we play anyone, we go there to win, and that's how everyone's mentality should be.” - Michael Hrabal

Just like last year, Czechia also has a potential trump card in Utah prospect Michael Hrabal, who sported a .943 save percentage and 1.50 goals-against average in his first two starts this tournament and a .926 SP and 2.36 GAA after the game against Sweden. Last year, the 6-foot-6 netminder made 28 saves to knock Canada out of medal contention.

In this tournament, he’s already displayed the caliber of play that has earned him a .917 save percentage and 2.49 goals against average with the University of Massachusetts this season. He was put to work in the third period of Czechia’s round-robin game against Slovakia when Vojtech Cihar was assessed a five-minute major penalty for hitting from behind. Slovakia’s Dalibor Dvorsky scored when the 5-on-4 later became a 5-on-3 advantage, but Hrabal shut the door the rest of the way to secure a 4-2 win. Sale didn’t like the call, but he knew his team had a giant guarding their net.

“It was a little bit stupid, I would say, in the last five minutes… but we have Hrabal there and he catch everything, so he was important for us,” he said.

The Canadians have a hot goalie of their own in Carter George, the first goalie to post back-to-back shutouts in his first two world juniors games since Jake Allen in 2010. Regardless of whether the two nations collide once again, Hrabal is keeping his eyes on the prize.

“Playing in Canada against Canada would be a big thing, but I think that's not the mentality we have,” Hrabal said. “If we play anyone, we go there to win, and that's how everyone's mentality should be.”

Related: World Juniors: Playoff Scenarios As Canada-USA, Sweden-Czechia Battle For Top Seeds

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