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Bruce Hamilton and company seem to have a thing for the Czech Republic.
The Kelowna Rockets selected defenceman Marek Rocak with the 43rd overall selection in the 2022 CHL Import Draft today.
It’s the fourth straight Import Draft that the club has taken a player from the Czech Republic following picks of Gabriel Szturc in 2021, Michael Krutil in 2020 and Pavel Novak in 2019.
With the 43rd pick in the 2022 CHL #ImportDraft, the
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) July 1, 2022
Rockets have selected defenceman @MarekRocak from Czechia.
Welcome to Kelowna, Marek! pic.twitter.com/AybntBq5LP
The 17-year-old Rocak spent the majority of last season with HC Ocelari Trinec in the Czech U20 league, recording four goals and six assists, along with a +20 rating, in 33 games.
He posted another two goals and two assists through 10 playoff games.
He also appeared in 11 games for the U17 team last season and posted two goals and 10 assists from the back end.
The 5’10”, 168-pound right-shot defenceman isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2023.
Kelowna skipped its second pick in the Import Draft, as Szturc will be returning to the team for the 2022-23 season.
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