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*bobdigi9* · 05-31-2024, 10:33 PM

Today we'll be taking a closer look at the Czechia junior hockey program. We'll look to give a bit of insight into their past, how they're perfomeing at present and what to expect from them in the future. How very Dickensian!

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PAST

There isn't much to glean from past iterations of this team. Until recently, the WJC was only comprised of 10 teams. In fact, it was only as recently as S57 that the tournament expanded from 8 teams to 10, adding a second team for each of Canada and the United States (Canada Red and White, US Blue and Red). Since then, the tournament has seen some team reconfiguration but always operated with 10 teams. That was, up until S75 which saw Team North America making their return was well as Czechia making their WJC debut.

Led by, who else, THEIR LORD AND SAVIOR Jesus Murphy the team defied expectations by finishing 6th in the regular season, going 6-4-2 for 19 points thus landing them a spot in the knockout round. With decisive wins against US White (who finished 2nd) and UCORCAL (4th) during the round robin, the Czechians proved their mettle and set their sights on doing some damage in the playoffs.
There, they drew a plucky Team World in the first round. Unfortunately, the Czechs ran out of steam and into a hot goaltender in Song Ju-Gong. Only able to muster 13 shots throughout the game, they were ultimately shutout 3-0 and with that their first tournament at the WJC was officially over.

As mentioned before, Jesus Murphy was their best player offensively. He finished with 6 goals and 11 assists which placed him in a tie for 2nd in tournament scoring. The Seattle born Murphy proved to be a valuable recruit to the team, having played the previous tourney with United States White.
After jumping around from UCORCAL, Finland, and back to UCORCAL, Cal Juice joined Czechia for their inaugural season and performed admirably. He led the team with 7 goals and finished with a personal best 13 points.
Other notable names included Troy McClure III who led the defense in points (2-6-8) and blocked shots (30). In goal, Five-Hole Sieve and Roman Cechmanek II split the games evenly starting in six apiece. Both played well, although it was the veteran Five-Hole Sieve playing in his fourth and final WJC who got the nod.

All in all, it was a productive first turn for Czechia and had them feeling pretty good about their chances going into the S76 iteration of the competition.

PRESENT

With a year of experience under their belts, team Czechia looked to improve upon their results from the year prior. Returning was over half of the roster which included the likes of S75 leading scorer Jesus Murphy, defensive stalwart Troy McClure III, goaltender Roman Cechmanek II, Andrade La Sombra, Nathangus McExplosion, and Brandon Gilleyes.
Add to this a mix of new converts and fresh faces and it felt like the Czechs were poised to take the next step.

Alas, things don't always go to plan. With a 4-0-3-1 record and 13 points after 8 games, the Czechs were in control of their fate at this point. Knowing now that the mark to make the playoffs was 16 points, all the Czechs needed was a win in their last four games and they'd be in. With crushing defeats to both of US White and Canada Black, Czechia did have an opportunity with a game against Canada Red.
Things looked good early on with the Czechs striking early in the first on the powerplay. They'd lead 2-1 after one, and 3-1 after two. Another goal early in the third gave them a 4-1 lead and they were poised to take home the win. However, with 3 unanswered goals in the final ten minutes, the Canadians refused to quit and force overtime. In the extra session, Canada would complete the comeback to stun the Czechs. The point they received in the OT loss would be the only point they'd earn over the final four games as they'd lose their final game of the tournament to a dominant UCORCAL squad.

Leading the charge again was Murphy. His totals were down from the previous year, but had a respectable 3 goals and 11 assists. Gilleyes was the goal leader with 5, followed by McExplosion and Marian Hanak with 4 each.
Returning goaltender Cechmanek II struggled throughout, only managing to secure 1 win to go along with a 4.36 GAA and .848 SV%. Hardly good enough numbers to be successful in the WJC, although it wouldn't be fair to blame him solely for the teams struggles. His backup, Tomas Suchanek, playing in his first ever WJC, fared better as he posted a 3.38 GAA and .898 SV% as well as earning his team 3 wins.

Ultimately no team wants to finish outside of the playoff round, but this stung for the Czechs as they were optimistic about their chances given their results from S75 and the strong roster they were able to put together.

FUTURE

Despite the disappointment from this year, Czechia should remain optimistic and feel good about their chances moving forward. With smart and strong management as well as a driven recruitment team, there's every reason to believe that this team will return even stronger. With Murphy likely back once again to lead the charge offensively, a return to form from McClure III, and a step-up from all of the "kids" this is a team armed with the tools they need to take the next step. On top of that, they're on track to only lose 4 players due to ageing out. If Suchanek can build on his performance and Cechmanek is able to bounce back, the goaltending should be more of a strength than a weakness

The team that Czechia sends to their third trip to the WJC will be rich in experience and skill. Instead of narrowly missing out on the playoffs this should be a team at or near the top of the standings. Whether or not that equates to a gold medal remains to be seen, but when the hardware is handed out come the end of the S77 WJC, don't be surprised if Czechia is the last team standing.

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Troy_McClure03 · 06-01-2024, 09:10 AM

Well done article!

I'm hopeful the future is bright!!

*bobdigi9* · 06-01-2024, 02:31 PM

06-01-2024, 09:10 AMTroy_McClure03 Wrote: Well done article!

I'm hopeful the future is bright!!

Top 3 regular season and a trip to gold medal game. Not bold enough to predict the victory but confident on the other two.
Lock it in.

[Image: yA5pOE.gif]

***HabsFanFromOntario*** · 06-01-2024, 06:21 PM

You're an absolute fucking legend digi <3

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