Czechia made major noise at the 2022 tournament, knocking off the USA in the quarterfinals and playing in the bronze-medal game. The team is looking to do more of the same in 2023.
The Czech squad is one of the deepest teams in the tournament. It boasts one of the best defensive cores, led by Blue Jackets prospects David Jiricek and Stanislav Svozil. The group also has one of the top point scorers from this summer's tournament in Jiri Kilich, a Sabres 2022 first-round pick.
No one is overlooking Czechia anymore. After upsetting Canada in its group opener, Czechia went on to win Group A, securing the most points out of any team in the preliminary round with 10. The team's lone loss came in overtime against Sweden.
Now, Czechia has its eyes on returning to the podium with a semifinal matchup against Sweden. The country has not won a World Juniors medal since 2005 when it earned bronze. Czechia has not taken home World Juniors gold since 2001, but this team is a real threat to be crowned champions at this tournament.
MORE: Watch the 2022 World Juniors live with fuboTV (free trial, U.S. only)
Here is everything you need to know about Team Czechia at the 2023 World Juniors, including their roster, schedule and results of their games.
Team Czechia 2023 World Juniors roster
Forwards
| No. | Name | NHL Rights (Draft) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Jakub Brabenec | Golden Knights (2021 4th round) |
| 21 | Jaroslav Chmelar | Rangers (2021 5th round) |
| 17 | Petr Hauser | Devils (2022 5th round) |
| 15 | Jakub Kos | Panthers (2021 6th round) |
| 25 | Jiri Kulich | Sabres (2022 1st round) |
| 16 | Marcel Marcel | Undrafted |
| 11 | Adam Mechura | Undrafted |
| 18 | Matous Mensik | Undrafted |
| 26 | Martin Rysavy | Blue Jackets (2021 7th round) |
| 28 | Eduard Sale | 2023 draft-eligible |
| 24 | Matyas Sapovaliv | Golden Knights (2022 2nd round) |
| 27 | Gabriel Sztruc | Undrafted |
Defensemen
| No. | Name | NHL Rights (Draft) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Ales Cech | Undrafted |
| 9 | Tomas Hamara | Senators (2022 3rd round) |
| 5 | David Jiricek | Blue Jackets (2022 1st round) |
| 8 | David Moravec | Undrafted |
| 3 | David Spacek | Wild (2022 5th round) |
| 14 | Stanislav Svozil | Blue Jackets (2021 3rd round) |
| 4 | Jiri Tichacek | Undrafted |
Goalies
| No. | Name | NHL Rights (Draft) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Kral | Undrafted |
| 29 | Oliver Satny | Undrafted |
| 30 | Tomas Suchanek | Undrafted |
Team Czechia World Juniors schedule
The format for the 2023 World Junior Championship consists of two groups of five teams playing a preliminary round-robin to determine seeding, followed by a single-elimination tournament.
Czechia drew into Group A. The team was joined by Canada, Sweden, Germany and Austria in the group.
(All times Eastern)
| Date | Opponent | Result | Time (ET) | TV Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 26 | Canada | W, 5-2 | FINAL | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 27 | Austria | W, 9-0 | FINAL | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 29 | Sweden | L, 3-2 (OT) | FINAL | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 31 | Germany | W, 8-1 | FINAL | TSN, NHLN |
| Jan. 2 | Switzerland (Quarterfinals) | W, 9-1 | FINAL | TSN, ESPN+ |
| Jan. 4 | Sweden (Semifinals) | W, 2-1 (OT) | FINAL | TSN, NHLN |
| Jan. 5 | TBD (Gold-Medal Game) | — | 6:30 p.m. | TSN, NHLN |
How to watch 2023 World Juniors games on TV, live stream
- TV channel (Canada): TSN
- Live stream (Canada): TSN.ca, TSN app
- TV channel (U.S.): NHL Network
- Live stream (U.S.): fuboTV
TSN and the NHL Network will once again be home to all of the action for the 2023 World Juniors.
Canadian viewers can watch the competition on TSN or stream the games through TSN.ca or the TSN app.
The American audience can view the games live on TV on the NHL Network, or can stream them through fuboTV.
2023 World Juniors odds
According to Sports Interaction, the 2023 tournament is a four-horse race.
Canada, Finland, the United States and Sweden are the clear frontrunners to win this year's tournament, with the Canadians holding the best odds at -125.
Here are the odds entering the 2023 tournament.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Canada | -125 |
| USA | +338 |
| Finland | +419 |
| Sweden | +625 |
| Czechia | +1641 |
| Slovakia | +4676 |
| Switzerland | +6430 |
| Germany | +11600 |
| Latvia | +50000 |
| Austria | +50000 |
