Latest news with #TomasPoletin
The Province
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The Province
Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets add Islanders prospect with No. 1 pick in CHL Import Draft
Czech winger Tomas Poletin is the latest addition for Kelowna GM Bruce Hamilton as he looks to get ready for national championship tournament Get the latest from Steve Ewen straight to your inbox Kelowna Rockets' president and GM Bruce Hamilton. Photo by Dave Abel / Dave Abel/Toronto Sun/QMI Agency Bruce Hamilton's heavy lifting to build the Kelowna Rockets into a Memorial Cup contender continues. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The Rockets are hosting the four-team national championship tournament next May. Hamilton, who is Kelowna's general manager, has been putting the pieces together for that run since last season's WHL trade deadline. His latest additions came Wednesday, when the Rockets selected Czech winger Tomas Poletin with the No. 1 pick in the CHL Import Draft, and then took his countryman and fellow winger Daniel Pekar at No. 7. 'I think we're moving in the right direction. I don't foresee a bunch of changes here over the next little bit, unless something falls into our lap,' Hamilton said. 'I think we're close now.' The Rockets made a trade last week to land the Poletin pick, sending the Moose Jaw Warriors the No. 71 Import selection, a 2026 WHL Draft first-round choice, and a 2027 WHL third-rounder in exchange for the top spot. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Poletin, 18, is a 6-foot-1, 206-pound left-handed shot who was selected Saturday in the fourth round of the NHL Draft by the New York Islanders. Hamilton wanted 'another bigger forward capable of playing in our top-six.' According to Elite Prospects, Poletin is 'rugged, attacks in straight lines and pushes an extreme effort level across all shifts.' He played in the Finnish junior league last year, and was the captain of the Czechia team at the Under-18 worlds, where he put up two goals in five games. He also had three goals and four points in five games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Poletin had 13 goals and 20 points in 25 games with the Pelicans of the Finnish junior league. Pekar, 19, is a 5-foot-11, 176-pound left-hand shot who played in the Czechia junior league with Bílí Tygři Liberec, and totalled 23 goals and 49 points in 45 games. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Kelowna was a dismal 18-44-4-2 last season. They were stung in late December when star forward Tij Iginla, 18, was shelved for the season with a hip injury. He is expected back with Kelowna this season. Hamilton started his remake at the January trade deadline, and that included a deal with the Spokane Chiefs for winger Andrew Cristall that brought back centre Hayden Paupanekis and five WHL Draft selections, and a swap with the Lethbridge Hurricanes for defenceman Caden Price that acquired defenceman Will Sharpe, the rights to goalie Harrison Boettiger, and another five draft picks. The Rockets announced last week that they had signed Boettiger, 17, who played last season with the U.S. National Team Development Program. Paupanekis, 18, was a third-round pick Saturday of the Montreal Canadiens. Sharpe, 18, was a seventh-round choice of the Los Angeles Kings. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. They are among 10 Rockets who are at NHL development camps this week. That list includes defenceman Mazden Leslie, 20, who the Rockets acquired this summer from the Vancouver Giants for two conditional draft picks, including a 2028 first-rounder. Leslie was the WHL's second-leading scorer among blueliners last season, with 72 points, including 21 goals. He announced last season that he was going to suit up for the Bowling Green State University Falcons this fall if he didn't land a job in pro hockey, rather than coming back to the Giants. Leslie is at Vegas Golden Knights development camp this week, and he was a free-agent invite to their training camp last season, so there is history there. Assuming he doesn't stick with Vegas, Leslie could pivot and join Kelowna for their Memorial Cup run. There is always the chance, too, that he signs a deal with Vegas and they reassign him back to junior, knowing that he would have an extended playoff run with Kelowna. Vegas does have strong WHL ties thanks to general manager Kelly McCrimmon's time running the Brandon Wheat Kings. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Hopefully, he's going to come to us,' Hamilton said of Leslie. Vancouver, who have also lost defender Colton Roberts, 19, to the NCAA ranks and Colorado College this off-season, filled some of those missing ice time minutes Wednesday when they nabbed Czech defenceman Jan Skok with the No. 61 choice. Skok, who turns 19 in October, is a 6-foot, 192-pound left-shot rearguard who Vancouver general manager Hnat Domenichelli described as a 'defensive-minded, first-over-the-board for the penalty kill' type of player. He played 28 games in the Czech pro league last season with Plzeň and had one goal. 'He's a veteran guy who can step in and play big minutes for us,' Domenichelli added. CHL teams will be permitted to have three Europeans on their game-day rosters this season, up from two. Vancouver's trio will include Czech winger Adam Titlbach, who is coming back for a third season with the Langley Events Centre crew, and Slovak winger Tobias Tomik, who was picked last year by Vancouver but opted to stay and play pro in his homeland. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Tomik, who turns 18 in December, had six goals and eight points in 40 games with Trencin Dukla, a team that featured a 43-year-old Tomas Starosta. Titlbach, 19, went from nine goals in his first year with Vancouver to 27 last season. He has played internationally alongside Skok. As well on Wednesday, the expansion Penticton Vees made three choices that included nabbing Danish forward Tristan Petersen, 18, with a third-round selection (No. 123 overall). He finished this season playing for Penticton in their final campaign in the BCHL, and the 6-foot-4, 192-pound left shot totalled four goals and nine points in 17 games. Vees GM and coach Fred Harbinson has five players from this past season slated to join him and other team brass making that jump next fall. 'It's so that it's not just the coaching staff that's trying to explain our culture and our daily habits and traditions. A couple of years ago, we only had two returning players and it was very challenging at the beginning of the year,' Harbinson explained. sewen@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Opinion News Celebrity Vancouver Canucks
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Get To Know Islanders 2025 Draft Picks: Round Three Through Seven
After a victorious first round at the 2025 NHL Draft, the New York Islanders had six picks on Day 2. It started off with a bang -- figuratively and literally -- with the Islanders selecting punishing forward Daniil Prokhorov with the 42nd overall pick. Islanders Select Hard-Hitting Forward Daniil Prokhorov With Their Second-Round Selection Islanders Select Hard-Hitting Forward Daniil Prokhorov With Their Second-Round Selection After a successful first day at the 2025 NHL Draft, the Advertisement New York Islanders used the 42nd overall pick to select forward Daniil Prokhorov of the MHL. Here are the rest of the picks: Luca Romano, C With the 74th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Islanders selected center Luca Romano out of the OHL. With the Kitchener Rangers, Romano tallied 25 goals with 26 assists for 51 points in 67 games. Romano excels in transition and creates pace for his line. The center is on the smaller end at 5'11' and 176 pounds, but he makes up for his stature with a high compete level and strong skating. As the engine of Kitchener's offense, Romano is a workhorse who eats minutes and produces at a decent clip. The Toronto native still needs to develop his faceoff ability to stick as a center in the NHL, but his game is relatively well-rounded. Advertisement Tomas Poletin, LW The Islanders followed their Romano pick by selecting Czech winger Tomas Poletin 106th overall out of the Finnish Liiga. Poletin scored a combined 13 goals with 10 assists for 23 points in 26 games with the Pelicans U18 and U20 teams. The left winger also appeared in 15 games with the Pelicans' Liiga team, but he received limited ice time and didn't appear on the scoresheet. Poletin is a rugged power forward who puts in 'extreme effort' for every shift, according to EliteProspects. Making his living off puck battles and the forecheck, Poletin utilizes his heavy 6'1' and 205-pound frame to dominate defenders. Advertisement Poletin was also Czechia's captain at the U18 World Championships, chipping in 15 goals in 29 games across two tournaments. Sam Laurilia, LHD With their 5th round pick at 138th overall, the Islanders then selected defenseman Sam Laurila out of the USHL. Laurila tallied 8 goals with 33 assists for 41 points in 57 games with the Fargo Force. The Minnesota native's point total was tied for 4th in the USHL among defensemen. Laurila is an opportunistic two-way player whose offense took a big step once leaving the U.S. NTDP. The left-shot defenseman shines in transition, creates dangerous give-and-gos, and doesn't shy away from contact. Advertisement As a slight overager, Laurila was passed on at last year's draft. Burke Hood, G At 170th overall, the Islanders added goaltender Burke Hood of the WHL. Hood posted a 3.13 GAA and a .910 SV% in 42 games with the Vancouver Giants. In his first WHL season, the goalie earned a respectable 19-13-6 record. Standing at 6'3' and 192 pounds, Hood controls the crease with his size and athleticism. Hood tracks the puck well through traffic and isn't afraid of contact with opposing forwards. Hood also has above-average lateral agility, positioning, and composure—his game contains few holes. Jacob Kvasnicka, RW To finalize their 2025 NHL Draft, New York selected winger Jacob Kvasnicka from the U.S. NTDP with the 202nd overall pick. Advertisement Kvasnicka scored 18 goals with 21 assists for 39 points in 66 games with the NTDP, as well as 5 goals with 9 assists for 14 points in 27 games within the USHL. Kvasnicka's greatest strength is arguably his speed, which he utilizes to make zone entries and provide offense. The right-shot forward isn't an elite creator, but he also kills penalties and forechecks well. Kai Russell wrote this story. Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
