Ostersund 2017 factfile: Czech Republic
Team preview ahead of Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament 02 Oct 2017With one week to go until the World Para Ice Hockey Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament in Ostersund, Sweden, it’s time to take a closer look at each of the five teams competing for their chance to appear at PyeongChang 2018.
We start with the Czech Republic who are aiming for their third straight Paralympic Winter Games appearance when they compete at the tournament from 9-14 October. At the World Championships B-Pool last November in Tomakomai, Japan; the team did not allow a single goal scored against them as they went on to win the B-Pool and secure their spot at Ostersund 2017.
Paralympic Winter Games appearances
Sochi 2014
Vancouver 2010
World Championships history
Gold – 2016 World Championships B-Pool
Silver – 2008 World Championships B-Pool
Key players
Michal Geier was named the team’s Best Player at Tomakomai 2016, after scoring five goals as the team beat host Japan for the gold medal. Also watch out for 19-year-old forward Karel Wagner. His breakthrough came at the 2015 youth camp in Langenhagen, Germany, and Ostersund will be his first major international appearance.
Roster
Offence:
No. 74 Michal Geier
No. 82 Zdenek Habl
No. 26 Zdenek Klima
No. 96 Zdenek Krupicka
No. 77 David Palat
No. 75 Jiri Raul
No. 24 Zdenek Safranek
No. 11 Karel Wagner
Defence:
No. 67 Pavel Dolezal
No. 65 Miroslav Hrbek
No. 29 Pavel Kubes
No. 7 David Motychka
Goalkeepers:
No. 17 Jan Matousek
No. 6 Michal Vapenka
Head coach: Jiri Briza
The top three finishers will earn the last qualification spots available at PyeongChang 2018, joining Canada, Italy, Norway, South Korea and the USA in March.
Live coverage and the game schedule are available on the official Ostersund 2017 site.