Thursday, April 21, 2011

Czech Hockey Games begin Thursday

The final leg of the Euro Hockey Tour, the Czech Hockey Games, begins Thursday night with a pair of games. The Czech Republic hosts Finland at Hala Rondo in Brno, while Russia hosts Sweden in Mytishchi. On Saturday and Sunday, Brno will host the tournament's other four games.

Russia is well out in front of the EHT standings and the Czech Republic has no chance of winning it, but that's not what's on the minds of any of the four teams that will be competing. This tournament is being treated as a tune-up for the IIHF World Championship, which begins next Friday in Bratislava and Košice, Slovakia.

The Czech national team currently has a roster of 29 players, which will need to be trimmed down to 23 by the start of the Worlds. There is also still the possibility of more NHLers joining at the conclusion of the first round, which would require even more cuts.

One of the most noteworthy names on the roster is Jaromír Jágr, who on Thursday will suit up for the Czech national team for the first time since the 2010 gold-medal game against Russia in Cologne, Germany. He will also play Saturday, but not Sunday. Since the team can only dress 23 players per game, the 27 players who are currently with the team are being rotated game-to-game.


Five of the seven NHL players that have been named to the roster will be playing in the tournament in Brno. The other two, Patrik Eliáš of the New Jersey Devils and Marek Židlický of the Minnesota Wild, will arrive in time to play when the Czechs host Canada at O2 Arena in Prague next Wednesday.

Ondřej Pavelec will start in the first game. Beyond that, it hasn't been announced which goaltenders will play.

Here is the Czech roster for the Czech Hockey Games:

Goaltenders:

Ondřej Pavelec
(Atlanta Thrashers, NHL), Jakub Štěpánek (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL), Jakub Kovář (Mountfield České Budějovice).

Defencemen:

Radek Martínek
(New York Islanders, NHL), Karel Rachůnek (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, KHL), Petr Čáslava (CSKA Moscow, KHL),  Ondřej Němec (Severstal Cherepovets, KHL), Martin Škoula (Avangard Omsk, KHL), Lukáš Krajíček (Oceláři Třinec), Tomáš Mojžíš (Dynamo Minsk, KHL), Jakub Nakládal (Eaton Pardubice).

Forwards:
 
Martin Havlát (Minnesota Wild, NHL), Milan Michálek (Ottawa Senators, NHL), Jakub Voráček (Columbus Blue Jackets, NHL), Jaromír Jágr, Roman Červenka, Petr Vampola (all Avangard Omsk, KHL), Tomáš Rolinek (Metallurg Magnitogorsk, KHL), Jakub Klepiš (Salavat Yulaev Ufa, KHL), Jan Marek (Atlant Moscow Oblast, KHL), Petr Průcha (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL), Jiří Novotný (Barys Astana, KHL), Martin Růžička (Oceláři Třinec), Petr Hubáček (Kometa Brno), Petr Koukal (Eaton Pardubice), Michal Vondrka (Slavia Praha), Petr Vrána (Vítkovice Steel).
 

Coaches: Alois Hadamczik, Josef Paleček
General Manager: Slavomír Lener
Team Manager: Martin Loukota
Video Coach: Jan Procházka
Physicians: Dr. Radek Holíbka, Dr. Zdeněk Ziegelbauer
Physiotherapists: Michal Truc, Petr Janků
Masseurs: Zdeněk Šmíd, Petr Ondráček
Media Manager: Jan Černý


Tournament schedule:

Thursday, April 21:
17:30 Russia - Sweden (at Mytishchi, Russa)
18:10 Czech Republic - Finland

Saturday April 23:
14:00 Czech Republic - Russia
19:00 Sweden - Finland

Sunday April 24:
14:00 Russia - Finland
18:00 Czech Republic - Sweden

All games will be at Brno's Hala Rondo, unless otherwise indicated. All games in Brno will be televised by ČT4 Sport and available online at ct24.cz/sport.

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