Czechs pick three NHL goalies plus forwards Necas and Pastrnak for Winter Olympics

By Canadian Press on January 6, 2026.

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic included three NHL goaltenders in its squad for the Cortina Milan Winter Olympics on Tuesday.

They were Lukas Dostal of the Anaheim Ducks, Karel Vejmelka of the Utah Mammoth and Daniel Vladar of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas, Boston Bruins right winger David Pastrnak and Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl were among 12 NHL players on the team which is missing Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil, who has not recovered from concussion.

Pastrnak teammate Pavel Zacha, Ondrej Palat of the New Jersey Devils and Radek Faksa of the Dallas Stars were other forwards in the squad.

Only two defensemen play in the NHL — Radim Gudas from Anaheim and Filip Hronek from Vancouver — showing a decline in Czech players in North America in recent years.

Nineteen of the 25-man squad helped the Czechs win the world championship two years ago in Prague.

The Czechs open the Olympic tournament against Canada on Feb. 12. France and Switzerland are also in Group A.

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AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

The Associated Press