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Czechia has wrapped up its Hlinka Gretzky Cup campaign, with some players, including Matěj Tománek, already back home. The team started strong with a comeback win over Switzerland but was knocked out of semifinal contention after losses to Finland and Canada, ultimately playing Slovakia for fifth place. Reflecting on the tournament, Tománek said: “The game against Finland and our lack of scoring were the deciding factors.”
Matěj Tománek, playing on Czechia’s third line alongside teammate Jiří Maxa, had hoped for a better result at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. A fifth-place finish after a win over Slovakia was far from what the team had envisioned.
“We’re glad we won the derby against Slovakia – it’s at least a small comfort. But we all imagined our path through the tournament differently,” said Tománek.
Czechia opened the tournament strong with a comeback win over Switzerland, but a loss to Finland proved to be the crucial moment of their run.“That was the turning point of the whole tournament. We were 2:1 down and applying a lot of pressure, but unfortunately we just couldn’t score. Then they hit us with a third goal, and that was it,” he explained.
Thanks to Switzerland’s win over Finland, Czechia still had a shot but needed to beat favourites Canada. Despite amazing support from the fans in Brno, they once again struggled to score goals early in the game and a horror final frame saw the Czechs conceded four goals.“I think our line’s performance wasn’t bad, but we definitely needed to be more productive in general. We had a lot of chances that we didn’t convert,” admitted Tománek.
The 16-year-old notched an assist in the final game for the Czechs, setting up the opening goal for Švancara.“Of course I’m happy with the assist, but I’d gladly trade it for a team win. I could’ve lived without a point if it meant success for the whole team,” he said.
Looking ahead to 2025/26, he’ll stay with HC Škoda Plzeň for now but isn’t ruling out an international move.“I’m definitely staying in Plzeň next season. After that, we’ll see if an opportunity comes up to go abroad,” he ended.