Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf and host nation Czechia continue to turn heads at the Men’s World Hockey Championship.

In dominating fashion, Czechia defeated Austria 4-0 on Friday, controlling the pace of play from start to finish – outshooting their opponents 30-21 through the full 60 minutes.

The Czechs improved to 3-1-1-0, retaking first place in Group ‘A’. In the preliminary round, the three-way race between Czechia, Canada, and Switzerland has continued to circulate between first, second, and third placements in the Group ‘A’ leaderboard – with no clear-cut leader emerging amongst the rest.

Former Maple Leaf Ondrej Kase opened the scoring for Czechia, scoring a nifty goal with 0:27 remaining in the first period when he was awarded a penalty shot as a result of a hook from Austria defenseman Clemens Unterweger – giving Czechia the early lead.

Ondrej Kase opens the scoring on a penalty shot.🇨🇿🚨 Czechia takes the lead. #MensWorlds #CZEAUT @czehockey pic.twitter.com/kk0HARHsRP

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 17, 2024

Scoring twice in the last five minutes of the second period to make it a 3-0 game, Czechia would stretch the lead to 4-0 just 1:31 into the final frame, essentially putting the nail in the coffin – not looking back from there.

Even though Kampf did not find himself on the scoresheet Friday, he was overly productive in other areas of the ice. In 13:31 of total ice time, Kampf registered a shot on goal while embracing penalty-killing duties, yet again slotting in on the top unit – a contributing factor in the team killing off all six penalty minutes obtained.

Contributing two primary assists in Czechia’s 7-4 victory over Denmark on Wednesday, he is still producing at a near point-per-game pace, totaling four assists in five contests. For a team with an absence of big-name NHLers on the roster, Czechia has still managed to find a way to win while stacking on the second most goals in Group ‘A’ with 19 through five games – only second to Canada (20).

More help is on the way; Czechia is getting a boost on offense.

The Czechs are adding a top-caliber forward with the medal round right around the corner. In a quick turnaround, centerman Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes is set to join Czechia on Saturday after a Game 6 loss to the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday.

Hurikán Martin Nečas letí do Prahy! 🌪️🇨🇿

Český útočník @canes se připojí k národnímu týmu na mistrovství světa v Česku. V 77 zápasech letošní základní části @nhl nasbíral 53 bodů, dalších 9 bodů přidal v 11 utkáních #StanleyCup Playoffs.#mensworlds #ceskyhokej #narodnitym pic.twitter.com/OxnwkMVWc9

— Český hokej (@czehockey) May 17, 2024

Czechia will look to pick up from where they left off when they face Great Britain on Saturday at 2:20 p.m. ET. Great Britain remains the only team in the tournament to not record a single point in preliminary round action – a glorious chance to capitalize for Czechia at this stage of the tournament.