One of the most anticipated sports in the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics is about to begin. The men’s hockey group stage is getting underway this week, and the gold medal favorites take the ice for the first time on Thursday. Team Canada will face off with the Czech Republic squad in what promises to be a star-studded affair.
Canada is a -470 favorite to win this one, and the puck line is set at -2.5 on the DraftKings Sportsbook. If you think the Czechs can pull an upset, they’re priced at +360. The total for this game is set at an even six goals. Let’s dig into a prediction and pick for this game.
Canada vs. Czech Republic Prediction
Seeing how this stacked Team Canada roster shakes out in the first game is going to be fascinating. Head coach Jon Cooper has a ton of talent at his disposal. So far, we have some indication as to how they’ll arrange their lines, and it’s a doozy.
Assuming these lines hold, it’s a fascinating balance of their talent. Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, the best offensive player in hockey and current NHL points leader with 96, was a lock to center the top line. But it’s interesting to see San Jose Sharks phenom Macklin Celebrini (fourth in NHL points) on his left wing, giving them a rockstar offensive pairing to start. Tom Wilson has skill in his own right, but he’s on that top line for his physical defensive presence first and foremost.
The Nathan MacKinnon line follows a similar format: elite offensive center (MacKinnon is 2nd in NHL points), a great goalscoring, offense-first winger (Nick Suzuki), and a winger with a nasty defensive streak (Brad Marchand). As does the Mark Stone-Sidney Crosby-Mitch Marner line, with Canada’s captain flanked by two Vegas Golden Knights stars. The fourth line is the closest thing you’ll find to a checking line in this lineup of extreme offensive talents.
Canada’s blue line also merits watching; beyond Cale Makar, there are few locks here. Devon Toews is an excellent defensive defenseman with lots of experience alongside Makar, which seems to be the logic behind Cooper’s placement. The second pairing is a bit less extreme, with one offense-leaning defender (Josh Morrissey) next to a defense-first blueliner (Colton Parayko). Drew Doughty, likely going for his last gold medal with Canada, will be alongside Stars youngster Thomas Harley. It remains to be seen if Shea Theodore and Travis Sanheim will be the odd men out, but it’s likely. It’s expected that Logan Thompson will tend the nets for Team Canada.
The Canadians are the gold medal favorite for good reason, but they have to figure out quickly how they’re going to balance this talent. They’re getting a solid first test.
The Czech Republic is bringing some heavy-hitting talents to the Olympics. Avalanche forward Martin Necas and Bruins forward David Pastrnak are expected to be their top offensive contributors. A Pasta-Necas-Tomas Hertl line could bring a lot of scoring talent to the ice. They have a few other NHL forwards: Ondrej Palat (Islanders), Radek Faksa (Stars), and David Kampf (Canucks). Those three should see heavy usage on the second line.
Former NHL players like Ondrej Kase, Dominik Kubalik, Lukas Sedlak, and Filip Chlapik should comprise a lot of their depth positions. Roman Cervenka, the 40-year-old team captain and ex-Calgary Flame, will see time on the checking lines. It’s a good depth group, but they’re heavily reliant on the top six for scoring.
The blue line is led by Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek, a stout defender with 270 career points in 508 NHL games. He’ll provide most of the offense from this defense group that features bruisers like Radko Gudas, Radim Simek, Jan Rutta, and Michael Kempny. 22-year-old Jiri Tichacek is the wild card here as a super-talented offensive blueliner who could mix things up in this stodgy group.
The Czechs bring a very strong goalkeeping situation to Milan. It’s unclear who will win the No. 1 job. Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks) was their top backstop during a gold medal run at the 2024 Worlds, but Karel Vejmelka is having an excellent season for the Utah Mammoth. Either way, they have a great presence in the crease.
Now that we know these teams a bit better, let’s get to a pick.
Canada vs. Czech Republic Pick
Whoever starts in net for the Czech Republic has a tall task facing off against three of the top four NHL scorers and the best offensive defenseman in the game. But he’ll be aided by a solid defensive blueline and some good checking forwards. The hope for the Czechs in this game is to avoid a lethal Canadian power play, play elite defensive hockey, and pray the top line delivers enough offensive punch to pull off the win.
That’s a thin margin. But I do think this game suits them well, and they should keep it closer than expected.
Best Bet: Czech Republic Puck Line +2.5 (-110)
