Blackhawks draft pick Václav Nestrašil brings his family's hockey story full circle

New York Times

2 days ago

Václav Nestrašil Sr. had had enough of hockey.
Three of his sons found some success in the sport growing up in Czechia, but he thought playing hockey had brought them all more sorrow than happiness.
So, when Václav Sr.'s second wife, Lucie Nestrašilová, was due with their first child, he sought something different.
Advertisement
'I told my wife, I don't want another hockey player,' Václav Sr. said. 'Please, I want a girl.'
They had a boy.
'I told my wife, OK, I want a musician, please, to play music, for example, or draw pictures. No hockey,' Václav Sr. said.
Not to be.
Their son Václav showed no interest in music or drawing. Like his brothers many years before him, Václav had his sights set solely on hockey.
'No chance, no chance,' Václav Sr. said. 'When Václav was 1 year old, he took, (for the) first time, hockey stick, took goalie net, (and said) 'Dad, we will play hockey, come with me, please.' It stopped my dream for a pianist because he loved hockey since the first day, first year. And it was no chance for me, I had to come back to hockey stadium with him, and he was so happy at hockey stadium. He was so happy that I thought, OK, I will start another hockey way again because you are happy here.'
Václav Sr. promised to support his son, but he asked Václav to play hockey only if that's what he really wanted — not something he did for his father.
The younger Václav agreed.
A little more than 18 years after learning he would be having another son, Václav Sr. watched the 2025 NHL Draft during the middle of the night in Czechia with his youngest son and learned Václav had been selected by the Chicago Blackhawks with the 25th pick.
'It was 5:30 in the morning when Václav was drafted in the first round, and my husband didn't sleep all night because he watched it all day on this draft day,' Lucie said. 'He said, I never will sleep because when I go to sleep and I will wake up, I'm afraid it was only a dream. So he didn't sleep two days after the draft.'
The experience was much different the first time one of Václav Sr.'s sons was drafted by an NHL team.
His son Andrej Nestrašil left home at 17 to play hockey in the QMJHL. Andrej played well for the Victoriaville Tigres and produced 22 goals and 35 assists in 66 games during his draft year.
Andrej was hopeful to be taken in the 2009 NHL Draft, but unbeknownst to him, his agent had already told his father that it wasn't likely based on how Andrej fared in the testing at the CHL top prospects game that year.
Advertisement
'The first date that we got there was skating testing, so all these like lasers on the ice and you gotta do pivots and sprints and stuff like that,' Andrej said. 'And I didn't know it at the time, but I think that day my agent called my dad, and he goes, oh, we're screwed. He's never gonna get drafted because he was dead last. But my dad told him on the phone, he said, 'Well, did you tell him that?' And he goes, 'No.' And he said, 'Never, ever tell him that.' So I didn't really know until years later.'
His agent was wrong, too. The Detroit Red Wings drafted Andrej in the third round with the 75th pick.
That time, Václav Sr. learned of Andrej's selection by reading the draft results on a computer. Still, it was a proud moment.
'Andrej was drafted as the first Czech hockey player in his year, and it was huge success for us to be first in the Czech Republic,' Václav Sr. said. 'It was a bad year for Czech hockey because only three players were drafted in this year, and Andrej was first. Yes, we were really happy, and I texted messages to all my friends: 'You must buy a newspaper' because it was a huge article with Andrej.'
A post shared by Andrej Nestrasil (@anesty11)
Andrej's first two pro seasons were rocky. He bounced between the Red Wings' ECHL and AHL affiliates. At that point, he didn't seem to have much of an NHL future.
Then, after his second season, he had a conversation with Grand Rapids AHL coach Jeff Blashill, coincidentally now the Blackhawks coach, that changed his career. He asked Blashill what he could do to be in the lineup more consistently the next season.
'I remember him looking at me, he goes, 'I saw you without a T-shirt the other day, and I think if you can lose 20 pounds, you can be the center of the fourth line next year,'' Andrej said. 'He was really straight up with me, and I really appreciated his honesty and fairness. And I said, OK, well, if that's what it takes. And I came back three months later, and I was 20 pounds lighter. And, you know, he held up his — he was true to his word. And I started playing at fourth-line center, and slowly throughout that year, with some luck and opportunity, I kept moving throughout the lineup and ended up having a year that pretty much was career-altering for me because I was either going home and play somewhere (in Czechia) or be done.'
Advertisement
After playing all of the 2013-14 season under Blashill in the AHL, Andrej made the Red Wings out of training camp the next season. His father traveled to Detroit to see Andrej make his NHL debut in the Red Wings' season opener against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 9, 2014.
Because it was the season opener, every player skated under a spotlight and had his name announced to the Red Wings' fans.
'It was really funny because if on the ice there was, for example, I don't know, some very good player who everyone knows, huge applause,' Václav Sr. said. 'And when Andrej was ready to go on the ice, 'And now, number 49, Andrej Nestrašil.' And everyone (was like), who? No applause. Who? Who? Only me, I stand and applaud. But it was really, really nice.'
Andrej played 128 games for the Red Wings and Carolina Hurricanes over the next three seasons. He then played four seasons in the KHL before returning home to play in Czechia. Andrej, who is now 34, is about to enter his fifth season playing for HC Oceláři Třinec.
On the day Václav was drafted by the Blackhawks, he and his older brother Andrej talked by phone. With three young children, Andrej decided it was best for his mental and physical health not to stay up all night to watch the draft.
'He called me a few hours later, just said congrats and he was really happy for me,' Václav said. 'I know that, and I kind of gave him (a jab) that I was drafted higher than him because that's how our family works. So, yeah, it was a good call.'
Andrej knew the jab was coming.
'I think that's where he set his goal, and he always said, I just want to be drafted higher than you,' Andrej said. 'I told him, I said, don't set your goals that low. I was only a third-rounder, so don't let that bite you. I think you want to go as high as possible. You don't want to be satisfied with 74th just because you beat your older brother. But that's how we kind of show love in our family. We kind of make fun of each other. We don't really speak about our feelings that well, so it's mostly jokes and you making fun of the other guys. Now it's a little on my plate that he's been drafted higher than me, but, you know, I still have more games than him in the NHL so far, so I'm gonna hold onto that.'
Advertisement
Václav is separated by as many as 18 years from his brothers, but he had a good relationship with all four of them growing up. And even though there was such a large age difference, Václav's competitive drive was just as strong as his brothers'. Whether it was playing hockey or board games, Václav wanted to win desperately.
'Everybody, it's horrible,' Lucie said. 'They laugh together, but when you have chocolate, they will come fight about the chocolate. It's horrible.'
Václav Sr. said, 'For Václav, the brothers are a huge motivation to be a successful hockey player. Because to be number one between the brothers, that's maybe more than the NHL.'
Václav did have to go through the family tradition of being the goalie as the youngest.
'It's just how it goes,' Andrej said. 'I've played a goalie and my other brother played a goalie, and then (Václav) was born, so he had to be the goalie.'
He has been a member of the Blackhawks since childhood 😆😆😆 pic.twitter.com/0pNcI01NzF
— Vaclav Nestrasil sr. (@nestrasilova) July 8, 2025
Václav was the biggest fan of Andrej, who is 16 years older, and closely followed his brother's NHL career. When Andrej was playing for the Hurricanes, Václav traveled from Czechia for a game and was able to get on the ice with the Hurricanes after a practice.
Václav wanted to follow every step of Andrej's development. He dreamed of playing in the CHL, just as his brother did. But when it came to a junior route, Andre recommended the USHL-NCAA path to Václav, who listened to his brother. He played for the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks, who won the Clark Cup last season, and will play at the University of Massachusetts as a freshman in the fall.
Because Andrej had been through his own pro career and had connections throughout hockey, Václav and his parents have always valued Andrej's opinion. When doctors discovered Václav, who is 6 feet 6 inches, was growing too fast in his early teenage years and thought he might have to give up hockey, Andrej helped.
Advertisement
'When Václav had a huge problem with his health, we found a lot of professional people, doctors, physiotherapists, mental coaches, nutrition,' Václav Sr. said. 'Andrej showed us how to be a professional player, and it was very, very important for Václav.'
Andrej tried to pass on what he learned, but he's the first to say Václav did everything from there.
'That's why I say that I don't want any credit for his success because giving someone advice is one thing, but like the stuff that he has done and how mentally strong he was in these tough moments,' Andrej said. 'And not just when he was injured, but like, then you go for the national team for the first time and maybe it's gonna be your last time, and the opportunity presents itself and you gotta capitalize on it. And every important moment where he needed to take advantage of that moment, he did. He did that big-time every single time.'
Andrej thinks Václav still has a lot of developing to do, but he's hopeful his younger brother will surpass his NHL game total.
'We're going to keep pushing him to make sure he's not satisfied with where he's at now,' Andrej said. 'And obviously as long as he will want to, we will try to get the best out of him and always be there to support him and help him. But I really think he's got it in him and I think his potential is huge.'
(Top photo from the NHL combine: Chase Agnello-Dean / Getty Images)
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today's puzzle