Czechia will have to go without one of its top centres at Milano Cortina 2026.
Pavel Zacha is set to miss the Olympics with an upper-body injury and will be replaced by centre Filip Chlapik, the Czech ice hockey federation announced Saturday.
Zacha, the Boston Bruins centre, was injured just before the Olympic break, exiting halfway through a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 29.
It's unclear when or how Zacha sustained the injury, but he didn't play for the final 6:55 of the second period and has not returned to action since.
The 28-year-old was enjoying a solid fourth season in Boston, tallying 15 goals and 22 assists in 54 games while often centring a top line with fellow Czech forward Davis Pastrnak.
Chlapik, meanwhile, plays for Sparta Praha in the Czech league. The 28-year-old has 19 goals and 26 assists in 45 games this season.
A native of Prague, Chlapik was drafted by the Ottawa Senators 48th overall in 2015 and has five goals and six assists in 57 games split between four seasons in the NHL.
Czechia will begin its Olympic tournament on Thursday against Canada.
