One year ago, The Czechs were excited about a World Junior Championship played in their own back yard. When they managed to beat Team Russia on opening night, spectators started wondering if this could be a sign of great things to come.
Sadly, that was just about as good as it would get. The Republic lost to the group’s projected bottom-feeders, Germany, and narrowly escaped a humiliating relegation round against Kazakhstan by taking the game against Team USA to overtime. That extra frame will best be remembered by Montreal Canadiens fans for producing Cole Caufield’s first and only goal of the entire tournament.