Bruins prospect makes Czechia's World Junior roster, but there's a catch

It has been a meteoric rise for the Boston Bruins' fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Vashek Blanár was a relative unknown to most people when the Bruins took him, and some couldn't even find him on Elite Prospects. However, so far this year, he has already played pro games in Sweden, committed to UMass for the 2026-27 season, and now has the chance to play games for Czechia at the 2026 World Junior Championship.

Czechia released a 26-player roster. It includes 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders. While some teams have a bigger training camp to cut down on players, it seems Czechia is heading into their pre-tournament preparation with most of the team already set.

The problem is that the IIHF only allows teams to roster 25 players. With Czechia already over the limit, there is a chance that Blanár, who had the honor of making this 26-man roster, won't get to play any games if he is one of the final cuts. The assumption is that there could be two cuts coming, but it remains to be seen whether it'll be one forward and one defense, or if Czechia will go to Minnesota with only two goaltenders.

Bruins prospect makes Czechia's World Junior roster, but there's a catch

Czechia proudly won the bronze medal at last year's tournament, giving them just their sixth medal since becoming Czechia or the Czech Republic (if you count when they were Czechoslovakia, the total is 17). It was the second consecutive bronze medal for Czechia, and the third medal in a row after winning silver in 2023.

The country is becoming an international powerhouse, and they'll return a strong lineup at this year's tournament. Three locks on defense will be two returnees in Jakub Fibigr and Adam Jiříček, and 2025 first-round pick Radim Mrtka. All three of those defensemen are offensive-minded, which could make Blanár's chances of making the team less likely if Czechia opts to fill out their remaining spots with more polished, defensive-minded blueliners.

Czechia does have some room to take another defender in the press box if they dress seven for the tournament's opening game. That likely leaves Blanár in a battle with two others for the roles of seventh defenseman, healthy scratch, and final roster cut.