Four Syracuse Crunch Alumni Named to Preliminary 2026 Olympics Rosters

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Four Syracuse Crunch Alumni Named to Preliminary 2026 Olympics Rosters

June 17, 2025 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Four Syracuse Crunch alumni have been named to their respective country's preliminary rosters for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina.

Forward Brayden Point will represent Team Canada. Forward Ondrej Palat and defenseman Radko Gudas will represent Team Czechia. Defenseman Erik Cernak will represent Team Slovakia.

The 12 countries participating in men's hockey named six players to their preliminary rosters yesterday. This is the first time NHL players will participate in the Olympic Winter Games since 2014.

Point, 29, appeared in nine games with the Crunch during the 2014-15 season posting two goals and two assists. He has since gone on to play 10 seasons in the NHL, all with the Tampa Bay Lightning. A Calgary native, Point has scored at least 40 goals each of the past three seasons. He had 42 goals and 82 points in 77 games for the Lightning this season. Point set career bests of 51 goals and 95 points in 2022-23. The center has 635 points (306 goals, 329 assists) in 657 games and led the playoffs in goals in 2020 and 2021, scoring 14 in each to help the Lightning win the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons. He won gold at the 2015 World Juniors, the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this season and silver at the 2017 Worlds. Point was also MVP of the 2013 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup when he had four points in five games to help Canada win gold.

Palat, 34, played in 56 games with the Crunch during the 2012-13 season. He recorded 13 goals and a team-leading 39 assists. He also skated in 18 Calder Cup Playoffs games leading the team with 26 points (7g, 19a) as the Crunch reached the Calder Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. He has since gone on to play 13 seasons in the NHL with the Lightning and New Jersey Devils. A two-time Stanley Cup winner with Lightning (2020, 2021), Palat has 505 points (177 goals, 328 assists) in 825 regular-season games and 51 goals in 155 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The winger from Frydek-Mistek had 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists) in 77 games this season, his third with the Devils. He won gold at the 2024 Worlds and played at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Gudas, 35, appeared in 57 regular season games with the Crunch during the 2012-13 season. He recorded 20 points (4g, 16a) and a team-high plus-32 rating to go along with 207 penalty minutes. He also played in 12 Calder Cup Playoff games tallying two goals and one assist during the team's 2013 playoff run. He has since gone on to play 13 seasons in the NHL with the Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers and Anaheim Ducks. The captain from the 2024 World Championship-winning roster, Gudas will be competing at the Olympics for a second time after playing three games for the Czech Republic in 2014. The Prague native had 16 points (one goal, 15 assists) and 86 penalty minutes in 81 games for Anaheim this season and finished eighth in the NHL with 261 hits and ninth with 178 blocked shots. He has 198 points (40 goals, 158 assists) in 829 career NHL games.

Cernak, 28, skated in 80 games with the Crunch in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. He tallied 25 points (7g, 18a) and a plus-29 rating in his two seasons in Syracuse. He has since gone on to play seven seasons in the NHL, all with the Lightning. A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Lightning (2020, 2021), Cernak had an NHL career-high 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) and a plus-29 rating in 76 games this season. The blueliner from Kosice has 603 career blocked shots and 1,197 hits in 441 games. Because of the Lightning's deep Stanley Cup Playoff runs in previous seasons, Cernak hasn't played at the World Championships since 2019. He won bronze with Czechia at the 2015 World Junior Championship.

Ticket packages for the 2025-26 season are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Crunch office located inside the Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial at 800 S. State St. in Syracuse, by calling the office at 315-473-4444 or online through Ticketmaster. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), X (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@syracusecrunch).

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