Raska elected to return to his native Czechia for the 2025-2026 season, and has a goal and five assists in 26 games. He is only 24, so the door to return to North America isn’t locked behind him, but given that he hasn’t latched onto a team and now has returned to Europe, there are plenty of better options on your wire to invest in.

Raska provided solid play for the Iowa wild of the AHL in 2024-2025. He filled an energy spot in the bottom-six, and scored five goals with nine assists in 56 games. He shot just under a shot per game, and made his presence known with hits and penalty minutes. When he does get an opportunity in the NHL, it will be in a similar role, and he will provide hits and penalty minutes to your fantasy squad- but that’s about it.

Raska’s numbers may not jump off the page but his relentless pace and high-energy play make him ideally suited for a depth role at the NHL level. Earlier this season he became just the second seventh-round pick from the 2020 draft to play in the NHL. I’m a believer in Raska’s ability to break through to regular NHL duty however consistent point production has never really been his forte at any level.

Raska was drafted 201st overall by the Sharks. Raska is expected to need another year or two before moving up to the AHL.

Raska was invited to the Czech Republic World Juniors camp. While it is far from a guarantee that he will make the cut, the Czechs need forward depth badly. Jan Mysak, Matej Pekar, and Jaromir Pytlik will be called upon to play big minutes, but they will still need some depth. Overall, Raska loves to be physical in all three zones. Constantly looking for the best time to pounce on his opponents. In addition, his passing is generally accurate and can deliver crisp cross-ice passing. Unfortunately, his shot selection needs work, but perhaps he is still feeling some first-year jitters as he is in his first season in North America. In terms of fantasy upside, he is somewhat limited. He projects to be a bottom-six forward.