No men's hockey team has looked more dominant in the 2026 Winter Olympics than Canada. The Canadians have been victorious in their first three preliminary games, outscoring their opponents 20-3.
Now, we're onto the elimination stage. The Canada vs. Czechia quarterfinal game is set to start 10:40 a.m. ET from Milano Santagiulia Ice Arena in Milan, Italy, with the game available to watch on USA Network and streaming Peacock.
Canada's impressive performance in the preliminary round included a 5-0 win over Czechia, which the Canadians will face again on Wednesday. Czechia snuck into the quarterfinals with a 3-2 win vs. Denmark on Monday.
Below, we'll break down our Canada vs. Czechia prediction and Olympic hockey picks for Wednesday’s quarterfinal match. Make your hockey picks during the Winter Olympics on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on hockey winners, spreads, and medal winner predictions.
{{core_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Canada vs. Czechia Prediction for Olympic Men's Hockey Quarterfinal
With a dominant performance in the preliminary round, Canada is favored to win the Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey, with a 1.69x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks as of writing. The United States isn’t too far behind Canada, with a 2.94x payout to win the gold.
Canada is averaging 6.7 goals per game in three games, leading all teams. The Canadians are scoring on an unreal 16.5% of their shots on goal; for comparison, Czechia is averaging 3.0 goals, scoring 9.45% of their shots on goal.
In Sunday’s 10-2 win against France, Canada 19-year-old LW Macklin Celebrini led the way with 2 goals and an assist. It marked the second multi-point performance of the Winter Games for the San Jose Sharks star.
Celebrini was far from the only Canadian who had a spectacular showing against France. C Sidney Crosby (1 goal, 2 assists), C Connor McDavid (1 goal, 2 assists), LW Mitch Marner (2 assists), RW Mark Stone (1 goal, 2 assists), and RW Tom Wilson (1 goal, 1 assist) all registered multi-point games.
Meanwhile, Czechia found itself in the qualification round on Tuesday, but was able to defeat Denmark, 3-2, to advance. Carolina Hurricanes RW Martin Necas registered a goal and an assist, while LW Roman Cervenka scored the eventual game-winning goal at the 11:24 mark of the second period.
Czechia has already faced Canada once at the Winter Olympics. In the tournament opener for both teams, the Canadians shut out the Czechs, 5-0, with McDavid tallying three assists to pace the offensive effort.
While Canada is favored to win gold on PrizePicks, Czechia is considered a long shot to even reach the podium in men's hockey, with a 10x payout ($1,000 payout on a $100 entry) to win the gold medal.
Canada vs. Czechia Prediction on Spread for Olympic Hockey Today
Here are some Olympic hockey stats to help you make your Canada vs. Czechia prediction on Wednesday, February 18, in the 2026 Winter Olympics. As of writing, Canada to win by 1.5 goals pays out on 1.23x on Team Picks.
- Canada has averaged 6.7 goals per game and 1.0 against throughout the Winter Olympics in three games.
- In two games, Canada goalie Jordan Binnington has a 2-0-0 record to go along with a 1.00 goals-against-average and a .950 save percentage.
- Binnington stopped all 26 shots that he faced vs. Czechia in the first meeting.
- Canada currently owns the top power-play at the Winter Olympics, converting 44.4% (4-of-9) of its opportunities on the man advantage.
- Meanwhile, Czechia is killing just 63.6% of its penalties, ranking ninth out of the 12 Olympic teams.
- Canada LW Macklin Celebrini is tied with Germany C Tim Stutzle and LW Nick Olesen for the Olympic goals lead with four.
- Canada C Connor McDavid leads all Olympic skaters in points (9). McDavid is the favorite to win the Olympic Men's Hockey MVP, with a 1.92x payout on PrizePicks.
- Czechia has averaged 3.0 goals per contest during the Winter Games, with a -3 goal differential in the preliminary round.
Canada vs. Czechia Picks for Olympic Hockey for PrizePicks Today
Here are the top Canada vs. Czechia picks to target in the men's hockey quarterfinal for Wednesday, February 18, on PrizePicks Player Picks. Our top player picks to target for goals and points on PrizePicks are headlined by Canada's Nathan MacKinnon and Czechia’s Martin Necas.
Canada C Nathan MacKinnon – 1.5 Points
- The Colorado Avalanche star has tallied two goals and three assists in three games for Canada.
- MacKinnon is centering Canada’s second line with Brandon Hagel and Nick Suzuki skating on the wings, per Daily Faceoff.
- The 2013 No. 1 pick registered a goal on three shots in Canada’s Olympic opener vs. Czechia.
- Prior to the Olympic break, MacKinnon was second in the NHL in points (93) behind only Connor McDavid (96).
- MacKinnon scored two goals in his last three NHL games prior to arriving in Milan.
Czechia RW Martin Necas – 0.5 Goals
- The Colorado Avalanche standout is tied for third in points (7) with three goals and four assists in the Winter Olympics.
- Necas registered a goal and an assist in Czechia’s 3-2 win vs. Denmark in the qualification round.
- Necas has accumulated at least two points in three of Czechia’s four games throughout the Winter Games.
- Before the NHL broke for the Winter Olympics, Necas ranked second on the Avalanche in goals (22) behind only MacKinnon (40 — NHL leader).
- Necas is playing on Czechia's second line, per Daily Faceoff, but he is on the first power-play unit.
{{core_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Make Canada vs. Czechia Olympic Picks on PrizePicks
With all four Olympic men’s hockey quarterfinal matchups taking place on Wednesday, Canada vs. Czechia will certainly be one of the more intriguing games that hockey fans will be keeping an eye on.
Canada is the current gold medal favorite on PrizePicks, boasting a loaded roster of NHL superstars, including three-time NHL MVP Connor McDavid and second-year star Macklin Celebrini.
You can make your Olympic hockey picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make your predictions on winners, spreads, and gold medal winners, now available in 34 states.
Stick around with the Playbook for continued Olympic predictions, picks, and news.
