Bruins’ Pavel Zacha to miss Olympics; replaced by Filip Chlapik
Czechia got some bad news on the injury front on Saturday morning, as Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha was ruled out for the Olympics. He will be replaced on the Czech roster by Filip Chlapik.
Zacha’s absence is a big loss for the Czech’s, as he brings high-level experience at the center position as well as familiarity and chemistry with his NHL teammate and the team’s top player, David Pastrnak.
The sixth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils, Zacha last appeared in an NHL game on Jan. 29. This season, he’s compiled 37 points on 15 goals and 22 assists in 54 games played as he’s helped the Bruins establish themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Chlapik is a fellow 2015 draftee who was a second-round pick by the Ottawa Senators. The six-foot-two Praha native tallied 11 points in 57 career NHL games between 2017 and 2021, all with the Senators.
Chlapik currently serves as the captain for HC Sparta Praha in the Czech Extraliga. He’s put up almost exactly a point per game for the team in each of the past three seasons. This year, he has 19 goals and 26 assists for 45 points in 45 games played.
Czechia is in Group A for the tournament alongside Canada, Switzerland and France. The Czechs’ schedule for the preliminary round is as follows:
- Thursday, Feb. 12 – Czechia vs. Canada, 10:40 AM ET
- Friday, Feb. 13 – France vs. Czechia, 10:40 AM ET
- Sunday, Feb. 15 – Switzerland vs. Czechia, 6:10 AM ET
The Czechs have medaled twice in their history at the Olympics, claiming the gold at 1998 in Nagano and the bronze in 2006 at Torino.
The last time NHL players participated in the Games, the Czech’s fell in the quarterfinals in Sochi in 2014.