ST PAUL, Minn. — The Sabres’ 2025 first-round pick is coming back to North America with some new metal.
Radim Mrtka and the Czechia U20 team secured the silver medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships after falling 4-2 to Sweden Monday night.
Mrtka, along with tournament star Adam Jiricek and the rest of the Czech defense, held Sweden to 35 shots, but goals by Sweden’s Casper Juustovaara in the first period and Victor Eklund in the second were ultimately the difference makers.
Mrtka had been held out of the lineup through the preliminary rounds due to an undisclosed injury, and did not record any points in the tournament. This medal is Czechia’s fourth straight, they won two bronze medals and a silver in the past three tournaments. Their last gold at the tournament came in 2001.
Other Sabres prospects at the tournament, Brodie Ziemer (2024, 3rd round), Adam Kleber (2024, 2nd round), and Luke Osburn (2024, 4th round), who all represented the United States, did not qualify for a medal game, losing 4-3 in overtime to Finland on January 2.