The bronze medalists from 2006 will have a tough time repeating as medal-earners. Two players from that team who were to be counted on as key contributors this year (Milan Hejduk and Ales Hemsky) will miss the tournament with injuries, while their captain has recently suffered a concussion (though is not supposed to miss much time, nor the tournament). Add in a goaltender duo who ranked only 10th in the first article of this Olympic series, and the Czech?s have an uphill battle to climb. 10. Milan Michalek ? Ottawa Senators Michalek was the sixth overall pick in 2003 by San Jose, but knee injuries derailed him until the post-lockout season in 2005-06. As a rookie he scored 17 goals and had 18 assists as the team?s top freshman. As a sophomore he netted 26 goals and 40 assists, earning him a 6-year/$26 million extension that offseason. His play stagnated from there, totaling 47 goals and 65 assists over the next two seasons combined, but the bonus was he played no fewer than 77 games. This past offseason, he was dealt to Ottawa in the infamous Dany Heatley deal. The 25-year old was enjoying a productive start to the season before a lengthy slump and injury knocked him off course ? he only has one goal since December 19th (an 11 game span), and was inactive due to injury from January 8th to the 20th. He has 17 goals in his first 46 games for the Senators with 6 power play goals and 2 shorthanded. 9. Pavel Kubina ? Atlanta Thrashers The veteran blue-liner is playing for his third NHL team since first playing in the 1997-98 season. He played with the Lightning until the conclusion of the 2005-06 season, which included winning the Stanley Cup in 2004. He had four seasons of 30+ points, and three seasons of double digit goals, featuring his career high of 17 goals in 2003-04. After 05-06 he signed a 4-year/$20 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing out three seasons of that contract there before being traded to Atlanta this past offseason. He concluded his Leafs tenure with back to back 40 point campaigns, proving to be a capable quarterback on the power play. The big-bodied Kubina (6?4?, 250lbs) could eclipse the 40 point plateau this year, owning 26 points in the first 50 games with the Thrashers. More importantly, he improved his defensive play (from a -15 last year, to a +9 this year) and is playing smarter (210 penalty minutes the prior two seasons, 38 this year). 8. Tomas Fleischmann ? Washington Capitals The 6?1?, 25-year-old forward was originally drafted by Detroit in 2002, but never made it out of the AHL there. He was traded to Washington in 2004 in the Robert Lang trade. After amassing 133 points in 155 AHL games, he was finally able to stick with the Capitals for good at the start of the 2007-08 season. He had 10 goals and 20 assists as a rookie, and increased his scoring to 19 goals and 37 points in his second full season. This year, he will shatter those career highs, already having 17 goals and 37 points in 43 games. Fleischmann also has 6 power play goals and 3 game winners, thriving with increased responsibility, increased playing time, and more skill on his line. As the Czechs look to him and other younger players instead of some of the skilled veterans that have been left off of this Olympic squad, Fleischmann will have big shoes to fill and will have to play a big role to show that the powers-that-be made the right choice. 7. David Krejci ? Boston Bruins Krejci, like Fleischmann above, has never played an international game with Czech Republic, so he will have a lot to prove. A 2nd round pick in 2004, Krejci didn?t break into the league until January of 2007, but didn?t play consistently until the next season (2007-2008) where he had 27 points in 56 games. Last year, he played all 82 games for the Bruins and excelled, with 22 goals, 51 assists, and was a league-leading +37. Following that season he signed a 3-year extension for just under $4 million a season. His play and point total has been considerably down this year with just 28 points in 50 games. For a 23-year-old to take such a large step back is definitely disheartening, but it can be largely attributed to the early season H1N1 epidemic that traveled the globe ? an epidemic that Krejci was diagnosed with in November. But with 9 points in his last 13 games there are signs that Krejci is returning to form, which is important for the struggling Bruins and the Czech?s hopes at another medal. 6. Martin Havlat ? Minnesota Wild The 28-year-old veteran winger was drafted in the first round by Ottawa in 1999, and was thought to be a future dynamic goal scorer. In his first four NHL seasons (all with the Senators) he scored 19, 22, 24 and 31 goals respectively, showing improvement every season. It was perhaps the injuries that have never allowed him to top 30 again, playing less than 70 games every season from ?02-03 to ?07-08. Last season, he managed to play 81 out of a possible 82 games while scoring 29 goals and assisting on 48 others for a career high 77 points with Chicago. But since joining Minnesota in the offseason on a free agent contract, signing for 6 years/$30million to replace the departed Marion Gaborik. After a career year, there are many whispers about him being a contract-year-player, disappointing Wild fans and fantasy owners alike by sporting low totals of 11 goals, 37 points and a -7 rating in 49 games. Perhaps he is finding his touch again, though, with 8 points in his last 7 games, and being held pointless in only 3 of his last 17 games. Czech fans should be elated that he is streaking right on time for the Olympics. 5. Marek Zidlicky ? Minnesota Wild It?s not often that a 6th round pick becomes an impact player in the NHL, but Zidlicky has become one of those rarities. After being drafted by the Rangers in 2001, Zidlicky was unable to reach a contract agreement and played two seasons in Finland where he led his team in points both years. The Rangers traded him to Nashville late in 2002, and he joined the club for the 2003-04 season where he played all 82 games, registering 14 goals, 39 assists and 53 points in a very successful first season. He hasn?t eclipsed those totals since, but has still been a very productive player. Prior to last season he was dealt to Minnesota and had 12 goals and 30 assists in his first season with the Wild. Not a big, bruising blue-liner (5?11? 190lbs), but a real good puck mover, he has 29 assists already in 54 games this season. He has also increased his defensive play, progressing from a -12 last year, to -2 so far this year. He, along with #3 on this list, will have the task of ensuring the skilled Czech forwards get the puck in the right spots, and helping to organize a good power play unit, as he did for the 2006 Olympic team. 4. Tomas Plekanec ? Montreal Canadiens The 27-year-old centerman was a 3rd round pick in 2001 by Montreal. After success in the AHL and overseas, he stuck with the NHL club after the lockout. He improved from 29 points as a rookie, to 20 goals and 47 points in his sophomore campaign. He improved again the next year, with career-bests of 29 goals, 40 assists and 69 points, but regressed to 39 points in year four (while still potting 20 goals). Playing alongside free agent signee Mike Cammalleri, Plekanec has already set a new career high for assists, with 41 in his first 56 games this year, while also contributing 13 goals ? his 54 points puts him on pace for a career high 79. While his offense has been spectacular, he does need to improve in the faceoff circle, where he is only winning 47% of his draws this year, down from 50% last year. He is a sure bet to center Czech?s top line and be a prominent fixture on the score sheet with his playmaking abilities. 3. Tomas Kaberle ? Toronto Maple Leafs Zidlicky has made an impact as a 6th round pick, but Kaberle one-ups him in this department, being the 204th player selected in the 1996 draft by Toronto, an 8th round selection. He made his NHL debut in 1998-99 and had 22 points in 57 games. He is in his 11th NHL season, all with Toronto, and has eclipsed the 40 point mark for the 7th time this year. Kaberle had career highs of 58 assists and 67 points in 2005-06, and followed that up with 58 and 53 points respectively his next two seasons. His career best in goals is only 11 (which he has done twice), but he is known as one of the best passing defensemen in the entire league; this season he is third amongst defensemen with 38 assists and 43 points thus far. He is also a great leader on the ice with his disciplined play, having only being charged with more than 30 penalty minutes once in his career (46 in 2005-06), and has been an alternate or assistant captain for a number of years. This past December, the 4-time All-Star passed Tim Horton for second all-time in points by a Leaf defenseman, trailing only Swedish great Borje Salming. This will be his third Olympic appearance for the Czech Republic (he also played in 2002 and 2006), and will be a key factor in all facets of the game, aiming to get the puck swiftly with his usual precision to the offensive playmakers. 2. Patrik Elias ? New Jersey Devils With a history of being one the best leaders on one of the best teams of the last decade, Elias was a wise choice to captain the Czechs. He is currently an assistant captain with New Jersey, but served as captain for the 2006-07 season. He has dynamic puck handling skills, and owns many offensive records for the Devils? franchise. His 96 points in the 2000-01 season (40 of which were goals) are a club record, as are his 66 game winning goals, 6 hat tricks, 732 points, playoff goals, assists and points (39-71-110), points in a single playoff (23), career assists (427) and tied for the NHL record in overtime goals with 15. 6 times in his career he has netted 28 or more goals and 60 or more points. He missed the first month of the season with an injury, and then contributed 26 points in 32 games before suffering a concussion on January 16th. The concussion is said to be minor and he should be available for the Olympics. The two-time All-Star and two-time Stanley Cup champ will form a dynamic first line with Plekanec and #1 on this list. 1. Jaromir Jagr - Avangard Omsk (KHL) I thought long and hard about moving Jagr down to number 2 on this list, but only because this is second consecutive season playing away from the best competition in the world found in the NHL. Other than that, he has every prerequisite you would look for in a #1 guy. Jagr is a first-ballot Hall of Famer no matter which way you look at it. He played 1273 games in his NHL career, amassing an incredible 646 goals, 953 assists and 1599 career points for Pittsburgh, Washington and the Rangers. Over his 17 year career, he had 10 seasons of 90+ points, and 5 seasons of 100+ points. He had over 30 goals in every season but his first and last in the NHL. He had two 50 goal seasons plus his career best 62 in 1995-96. He had 8 seasons of 60+ assists, twice dishing out over 80. 5 times he led the NHL in scoring, earning him the Art Ross Trophy. Though he only won one Hart Trophy for league MVP, he was a finalist 5 additional years, and won the Lester B. Pearson Award as the player?s choice MVP three times. The records he holds for a right winger and as a European are too many to count, but maybe most impressive is that he has 15 straight years of 30 goals, and 15 straight years of 70 points; that streak includes the strike shortened 1994-95 season where he had 32 goals and 70 points, tied for the league lead with Eric Lindros who won MVP that year. In his year and a half playing overseas, he has averaged about a point per game, and is probably the most skilled 37-year-old (he will be 38 during the Olympic break) on the planet. Nick can be reached at [email protected] and on twitter: http://twitter.com/nickobergan Next up: USA