2026 Olympic Preview: Czechia

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How they got here:

Czechia qualified for this tournament automatically based on their world ranking. Czechia have had success recently at the senior level, winning third place twice in 2022 and 2023 at the World Championships and competing in the third-place game in the last four World Championships.

Last Olympics:

Czechia finished second in Group B at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and they took on the United States in the quarter-finals. Czechia scored first in that game, but four unanswered goals, including an empty netter late in the third, propelled the United States past Czechia, 4-1.

Storylines:

Young forwards: Kristýna Kaltounková get’s alot of the attention, and rightfully so, but Czechia is stocked full of young talent at the forward position. Natálie Mlýnková is only 14 games into her PWHL career with Montreal, but she’s a veteran of international play for Czechia. Mlýnková was a part of the 2022 Olympic team, and she tied for the team lead in points at the 2025 world championships.

Czechia also boasts a pair of teenage college stars set to make their Olympic debut. Adéla Šapovalivová and Tereza Plosová are no strangers to the senior national team. Šapovalivová debuted for the senior team at the 2022 World Championships, and Plosová debuted at the 2023 World Championships. Šapovalivová and Plosová have had success at youth tournaments for Czechia, including leading Czechia to its first silver medal at the U18 World Championships in 2024. This season, Šapovalivová has scored just under a point per game in her first 20 games at the University of Wisconsin, and Tereza Plosová has seven goals at the University of Minnesota.

Goaltending: Klára Peslarová was fantastic for Czechia at the Olympics in 2022, and Czechia will need Peslarová at her best again at this tournament to compete for a medal. After a year in the PWHL with the Boston Fleet last season, Peslarová went back to Sweden this year, where she has a .913 save percentage in 21 games for Brynäs.

Czechia will also bring Dartmouth goaltender Michaela Hesová. Hesová will be making her Olympic debut, but she played in last year’s World Championships, and she’s also seen time for Czechia in the Women’s Euro Hockey Tour leading up to this year’s Olympic Games.  

Out of the gates quick: Czechia opens the tournament on Feb 5 against the United States, and then they take on Switzerland on Feb 6, less than 24 hours after their first game. With such stiff competition in their first two games, it’s important Czechia start fast in this tournament, or risk falling into a hole early.

Players to watch:

Kristýna Kaltounková: The first overall pick in the 2025 PWHL draft has been quite good this season. At the Olympic break, Kaltounková leads the PWHL with 11 goals, and she leads the New York Sirens in points. She was a scoring leader for Czechia in the 2025 World Championships, and though she’s making her Olympic debut, she will be leaned on to help provide offense for this team on the biggest stage. 

Sára Čajanová: Čajanová made her Olympic debut in 2022 at just 19 years old. In that tournament, Čajanová had one point, was plus 2, and averaged just over 16 minutes of ice time — not bad for your first Olympics as a teenager. Heading into her second Olympic Games, Čajanová is one of the best defenders in the SDHL; she’s scored 3 goals and 22 points in 33 games for Brynäs this season. At the 2025 World Championships, Čajanová averaged 19:44 minutes of ice time per game, which put her third among Czechia defenders in ice time, just behind Daniela Pejšová and Aneta Tejralová. I’d expect those three to once again lead the back end for Czechia in this Olympic tournament.

What does success look like?

A medal. With the talent they have and the success they have had at both the senior level at the World Championships since the 2022 Olympics, and at the U18 level in the past couple of years, I think it’s medal or bust for this team. Czechia has never won a medal in women’s ice hockey at the Olympics, and I think anything less than breaking that drought would be considered a disappointment.

How will they finish?

I think they will finish third and win the bronze medal. I really like Czechia’s blend of youth and experience. The forward group is deep, and I think they will be able to score against any team they play. With some strong goaltending, I think a medal is well within reach.