OSTRAVA, Czech Republic — The tournament had barely begun before it already had its first upset. Two and a half hours after Ostravar Arena’s opening ceremony, the underdog Czechs had topped the titanic Russians in a narrow, violent 4-3 win on home soil.



They’d been outshot 36-22, but they’d prevailed on the back of one player: Jan Jenik. The small arena, packed to capacity and as loud as any the planet, rattled all game as fans stomped, jumped and chanted. The noise was incessant, and that emotion spilled onto the ice, where, after a series of penalties, it was Jenik who got to play hero on a second period 5-on-3 advantage.



His celebration, a sprint to center ice and a demand for attention and energy, crescendoed into a roar.



For a brief moment, the country was his.



A year or two ago, Jenik’s stardom at the world juniors may have come as a surprise. After spending his draft year playing predominantly in the Czech...