Czech forward Roman Červenka, who as captain led Czechia to their first World Championship title in fourteen years on home ice last month, was today awarded the IIHF’s Male Player Of The Year Award for the 2023-24 season.

The 38-year old Červenka, who was playing in his eleventh World Championship for Czechia, and was the only member of the WC squad to have captured Gold previously in 2010, turned back the clock in Prague with a dominant performance, notching eleven points in ten games, including the shootout winner over Finland to open the tournament, and assisting on the lone goal to eliminate the United States in the Quarterfinal. Červenka was named to the tournament All-Star team at forward.

This is Červenka’s fourth medal in eleven Worlds appearances, adding his two Golds to a pair of Bronze medals (2011, 2022). He also won Bronze at the 2005 World Juniors, and has played at four Olympics (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) and the 2016 World Cup Of Hockey. In his club season, Červenka notched 40 points in 47 games with Rapperswil-Jona of the Swiss National League.

Červenka received 31.3% of the vote to win the trophy, beating out Roman Josi (30.3%) of the Silver-medalists Switzerland, Czech teammate Lukáš Dostál (20.4%), Kevin Fiala (11.2%) of Switzerland, with the bottom rounded out by Erik Karlsson of Sweden and John Tavares of Canada.

Photo Credit: IIHF Worlds 2024 – IIHF – HHOF – IOC