![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26037739103032.jpg\")
David Pastrnak, flag bearer of Czechia arrives during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ashley Landis)\nBeware of underdogs<\/p>\n
Martin Necas knows quite well what it\u2019s like in his hockey-mad country when the highest levels of success are achieved.<\/p>\n
The Colorado Avalanche star wasn\u2019t born in 1998 when Jaromir Jagr and Dominik Hasek led a stunning march to the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, but he was front and center when Czechia won the world championships two years ago on home soil in Prague.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey called it \u2018Prague-ano,’\u201d Necas said. \u201cThat was insane. Best times of my life, for sure. It was a special moment, especially playing at home. It was crazy. The whole country was with us. I\u2019m excited, because that\u2019s going to be the same thing for the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Czechs winning in Nagano was part of the golden era for the country\u2019s hockey program. They won the worlds in 1996, the first Olympics with NHL players in 1998, and then rattled off three straight world championship titles from 1999-01, something no country has done since and hadn\u2019t been done since the Soviet Union did it in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n
As players like Jagr, Hasek and Milan Hejduk aged, the next wave of Czech players were not able to find the same level of success. There was a bronze medal eight years later in Turin, but the previous two Olympics with NHL players came and went without the Czechs being much of a factor.<\/p>\n
They went 14 years without winning the world championships until 2024, which is a much bigger tournament for the European countries than the North American countries. There should be some renewed hope, and more coming on the horizon.<\/p>\n
David Pastrnak, flag bearer of Czechia arrives during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ashley Landis)
\nBeware of underdogs<\/p>\n
This Czech team in Milan is going to be fronted by world-class players. Necas will be joined by David Pastrnak and Tomas Hertl. The team will likely be backstopped by Lukas Dostal, one of the NHL\u2019s top young goaltenders, but there is quality NHL depth in net as well.<\/p>\n
They will be heavy underdogs as they open round-robin play against Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Devon Toews and Canada. But look out if Dostal has a great game, or Canada picks the wrong goaltender.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s understandable,\u201d Necas said. \u201cIf you look at those rosters, on the paper they are stronger than us. But once you step on the ice, it doesn\u2019t really matter. We\u2019re going to do our best and play as hard as we can. Whatever happens is going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canadian hockey fans collectively care a great deal more about the world junior championships than most. Ask a Canadian hockey fan, and they will verify this next sentence.<\/p>\n
The Czechs are coming.<\/p>\n
Maybe not in 2026, when the team is still short on NHL depth, particularly on defense, compared to the other big four nations participating. But Czechia has regained some of its development magic.<\/p>\n
The Czechs have medaled in each of the past four world junior tournaments. No other country can say that. For three consecutive years, Canada\u2019s quest for gold at the event has ended with a loss to Czechia, including a 6-4 defeat in the semifinals this year. Avs prospect Max Curran had a goal and two assists in that game.<\/p>\n
Each of the past three Czech WJC teams has had at least 12 NHL draft picks on the roster, and the 2026 team could still add to that total.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust watching those guys at world juniors the last two, three years, it has been pretty cool,\u201d Necas said. \u201cWe used to have one, two, maybe three good players, not like Canada or the U.S. But now, it\u2019s the whole team playing really well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exciting, because I want to be winning in the future with our national team as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Avalanche](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26007700102026.jpg\")
Avalanche center Martin Necas (88) against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period of a game Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo\/Chris O’Meara)
\nAvs\u2019 big bet on talent<\/p>\n
Necas also wants to win in Colorado. He made that clear when he signed an eight-year, $92 million contract on Oct. 30 with the Avalanche.<\/p>\n
He was part of one of the biggest NHL trades of the past 20 years in January 2025, joining the Avs from the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-team blockbuster that sent Mikko Rantanen away.<\/p>\n
Necas has 33 goals and 90 points in 82 regular-season games since the trade. He\u2019s essentially replaced Rantanen\u2019s production, though the postseason is where his Colorado legacy is likely to be forged. Necas has not had the same level of postseason success to this point as the guy he replaced, but the Avs were willing to bet on his talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s 26, turning 27, so you project that out,\u201d Avs general manager Chris MacFarland said at the time of the signing. \u201cThe way he skates, the way he takes care of himself \u2014 we think the bulk of those years should be very, very productive hockey seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n
This trip to Milan will be Necas\u2019 first chance to perform on one of hockey\u2019s biggest stages. He had seven points in five games at the 2024 worlds, joining his countrymen midway through the tournament after the Hurricanes exited the playoffs.<\/p>\n
Pastrnak and Necas are likely to be the front-line players for Czechia in 2030, and possibly in 2034 as well. By then, the kids who have been collecting WJC medals will be in their primes and could be dotted across NHL rosters.<\/p>\n
At some point, Necas wants his country to relive the celebration that happened after winning the Olympics in 1998.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the biggest thing to ever happen to Czech hockey, I would say,\u201d Necas said. \u201cThis is going to be exciting. If we could get something similar done over there, it would be unreal.\u201d<\/p>\n