The Czech Republic team will enter the Sochi Olympics as underdogs to power house nations like Sweden, Russia, United States and Canada, but the Czech national team boasts a strong mix of talent that could put them in a position to succeed.
Headlined by none other than Jaromir Jagr, who continues to defy age with his dazzling play, the Czech team is mostly made up of NHL players. Fans will recognize names like Ales Hemsky, Patrick Elias, Martin Erat and David Krejci, among others, leading the team’s offense. While the team doesn’t have the firepower of some of the other nations,they sport a strong defensive unit with defensive-minded talent who will help them grind out a lot of victories. Tomas Kaberle should be an asset on the power play with his puck moving capabilities – especially with the bigger ice surface where he has more time to think and more room to maneuver.
The real question mark for the Czech’s is goaltending. Ondrej Pavelec is the only one on the team with NHL experience, and has some international experience as well, including a gold medal in the 2010 World Championships, and a bronze medal in the 2011 World Championships.
The roster for the Czech Republic national team is as follows:
Forwards
R. Cervenka
P. Elias
M. Erat
M. Frolik
M. Hanzal
A. Hemsky
J. Jagr
D. Krejci
M. Michalek
P. Nedved
J. Novotny
O. Palat
T. Plekanec
J. Voracek
Defense
M. Barinka
R. Gudas
T. Kaberle
L. Krajicek
Z. Michalek
M. Rozsival
L. Smid
M. Zidlicky
Goalies
J. Kovar
O. Pavelec
A. Salak
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