Tributes have been left to Ondrej Buchtela ©Instagram

Ice hockey player Ondrej Buchtela has died at the age of just 20 after battling against a rare form of cancer.

The Czech defenceman represented his country at several age groups, including at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 World Championship in Slovakia.

He was most recently representing club side HC Benatky nad Jizerou in the Czech second tier, and played his last match on March 7 before the season was halted due to coronavirus.

Two months later he was diagnosed with cardiac sarcoma – a form of cancer which started in his heart and spread to his lungs.

It was hoped that he would travel to Italy to visit a specialist doctor but, sadly, the trip never took place.

"If you don’t think life can be turned upside down in two days and priorities can be completely shifted from the ground up, then I tell you they can," Buchtela wrote on Instagram in June.

Czech ice hockey players Jaromir Jagr, Dominik Hasek, Jakub Voracek and David Krejci, as well as football goalkeeper Petr Cech, had donated money and items for an auction for Buchtela, who was left confined to a wheelchair.

More than €130,000 (£118,000/$152,000) was raised for his treatment.

"Life is sometimes cruel," said Czech Ice Hockey Association President Tomas Kral.

"The serious illness that afflicted Ondrej caused a huge wave of hockey solidarity, and from the responses we received, I know that we will all remember him only in the best possible way.

"On behalf of Czech hockey, I want to express my sincere condolences to his family, loved ones and friends."