Rockets host Blazers tonight in final week of pre-season play
16-year-old to stick on roster, possibly work way into top-4 role
The Kelowna Rockets have a reputation for finding and developing all these awesome NHL defencemen.
Lucas Johansen is making the jump this fall — at least to the AHL, joining former Rockets captain Madison Bowey in the Washington Capitals’ system — and Cal Foote is well on his way to stardom, too, after being selected in the first round of this year’s NHL draft, 14th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Shea Weber, Duncan Keith, Tyler Myers, Tyson Barrie, the list goes on and on. So who’s next? Meet Kaedan Korczak, a 16-year-old rookie blueliner expected to make an immediate impact for the Rockets this season and possessing similar upside to some of those big names.
“He’s still a kid and you don’t want to put any unwarranted pressure on anybody,” said Rockets head coach Jason Smith, “but he has the skill-set and the talent to grow and develop and continue to get better. His tools that he has in the box are great right now, and now it’s about adding to that.
“Hopefully he progresses and becomes an elite player in this league.”
Kelowna’s first-round bantam draft pick from 2016 — the Rockets traded up to take Korczak at 11th overall — the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Prairie boy was baptized by fire in this spring’s WHL playoffs, thrown into the lineup as an affiliated player because of Foote’s suspension and Braydyn Chizen’s leg injury.
Korczak held his own in limited ice-time — the Rockets essentially rolled four defencemen — and got an eye-opening realization of the jump to major junior from the midget ranks, where he had become a dominant force for his hometown Yorkton Maulers.
Getting into those five post-season games in April — even if he spent most of the time watching the action from the Rockets’ bench — was an invaluable experience for Korczak. Both in the moment, and in preparation for full-time duty this season.
“It was super important for me, and I knew what to work on in the summer — strength, for sure, battling against these older guys, and just my skating to keep up with these guys,” said Korczak, who returned to Kelowna in August standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 186 pounds. “I did grow an inch or two and I put on five to 10 pounds. It was a very productive summer, and it’s super exciting to be back.”
Just being immersed in that playoff environment — being in the Rockets’ dressing room and on the bus trips — put Korczak one step closer to becoming a pro.
And one step closer to becoming the next big name to come out of Kelowna’s defence factory, though new import Libor Zabransky could also join that long line. A 17-year-old from the Czech Republic, entering his NHL draft year as a highly touted prospect for 2018, Zabransky may emerge as the next Alexander Edler for Kelowna, but that’s a story for another day.
For Korczak, that playoff exposure provided plenty of off-season motivation, and the results have been evident early on in training camp. He was arguably the Rockets’ best defenceman in their pre-season opener on Saturday, outshining returnees Chizen and Konrad Belcourt in a 5-4 overtime loss to the visiting Victoria Royals.
“Kaedan is a player that dipped his toes in the league at the end of last season. He got to be around the guys and learn the wear and tear of the Western league,” Smith said of Korczak, who dressed for two games against Portland and three against Seattle after previously suiting up in four regular-season games with Kelowna as a call-up coming out of the Christmas break.
“You get a feel for the pace of the game and the expectation of the coaches and the organization,” Smith continued. “He got to experience that last season and he’s obviously put the work in during the summer, and he’s doing the things we’re asking him to do.
“Up to this point right now, he’s competing and playing the game with poise and pace, and that’s what we want.”
Prior to joining the Rockets, Korczak scored a hat trick — including the double-overtime winner — to upset the Notre Dame Hounds with a 4-3 series-clinching victory in the first round of the Saskatchewan midget 3A league playoffs. In the regular season, Korczak finished second in team scoring for Yorkton, producing 11 goals and 29 points in 42 games.
Those feats speak to Korczak’s two-way ability and offensive potential, but don’t expect anything too flashy to start his WHL career.
His skill-set is similar to Foote in a lot of ways — sound, steady and smooth.
“For a young kid, he’s very composed and he has poise with the puck and can move the puck,” Smith said of Korczak. “And he works at defending — he’s not a one-dimensional player, he’s a player that really wants to play the game the right way in all aspects. He wants to contribute offensively, but he also wants to be a steady defender that can be relied upon.
“He’s very coachable, he listens, and he’s been putting work in away from the rink, in the gym, getting faster and stronger. When you get that from a young player that has his tools, he’s got a great opportunity to develop and be a really good player.”
Foote sees that too, and has taken Korczak under his wing in the present.
“He was fortunate to come up and play with us in playoffs and I thought he did a great job with the opportunity that he got,” Foote said. “Coming in during the middle of playoffs and after his season was over, it was a huge step, but he did a great job.
“He’s a player that’s going to be very special for this organization and I’m excited to see what he can do this season.”
So is the coaching staff, but Smith is still anticipating an adjustment period and will ease Korczak into the defence rotation — giving him as much responsibility as he can handle as the campaign progresses.
It is a position of strength for the Rockets this season, so that may or may not include power-play time for Korczak as a rookie.
“He’s going to force the hand in what role he’s going to play, by the quality of play the player puts in,” Smith said. “We’ve taken that approach from Day 1 last year, that opportunity on the ice is earned by your quality of play and the work you put in at practice and your commitment to doing things the right way.
“We expect him to be a contributing part. He’s a player that is going to get an opportunity to contribute and play, and I think he’s excited about that challenge and looking forward to it.”
Kelowna capitalized on its first power play of the game, as defence prospect Cayde Augustine scored the lone goal of the first period — blasting a one-timer by Victoria starter Dylan Myskiw at 7:23. A pair of sophomores set up that tally, with Kyle Topping winning the face-off back to Konrad Belcourt, who slid the puck over to Augustine — a 6-foot-2, 220-pound blueliner from Calgary who doesn’t turn 16 until Oct. 5.
Things were going great for Kelowna until Basran took over, though he couldn’t be blamed on that tough initial test, which saw Jared Dmytriw roof a return feed from Jared Legien to get the Royals on the board — cutting the deficit to 2-1 at 11:42 of the second period.
The Rockets returned fire with their second powerplay goal of the game at 15:51, as Topping restored their two-goal lead by firing Mattson’s cross-ice pass into a gaping net.
Those two second-year forwards were standouts for Kelowna, with Mattson previously knocking down a pass in the slot and quickly deking backhand shelf for the 2-0 goal.
Colum McGauley registered the second assist on the 3-1 goal, picking up his first point in a Rockets jersey after being acquired from the Spokane Chiefs last October in a 1-for-1 swap for Tanner Wishnowski, who is now playing for the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers as an over-ager this season. McGauley, 17, spent last season with the KIJHL’s Nelson Leafs and is in the mix among several forward prospects trying to crack the Rockets’ roster.
Kindree, also 17 and a safe bet to make the cut from that group after leading the B.C. Major Midget League in scoring last season, sprung Josh McNeil for the 4-2 goal at 5:32 of the third period.
Kindree later set up Topping on a shorthanded 2-on-1, but the Royals’ relief goaltender, Dean McNabb, stretched across to rob Topping of a two-goal night.
Basran had a tougher time at the other end in allowing three third-period goals, including one on a penalty shot that saw Victoria’s new Belarussian import Igor Martynov move in slowly and perform a slick deke that made Basran look bad.
Legien, with his third goal through two pre-season games, and Spencer Gerth also scored for the Royals, who lost their exhibition opener 5-3 to the Blazers in Kamloops on Friday night. Gerth got Victoria to within 3-2 and Legien made it a one-goal game again, at 4-3, before Martynov’s equalizer forced overtime. McNabb was credited with the win, stopping 9 of 11. Basran blocked 11 of 16 in defeat. ICE CHIPS: Kelowna scratched C Dillon Dube, RW Kole Lind, LW Carsen Twarynski, LW Jack Cowell, LW Erik Gardiner, RW Marek Skvrne (import), D Cal Foote, D Gordie Ballhorn, D James Hilsendager, D Libor Zabransky (import), G James Porter and G Cody Porter (tryout). That doesn’t include potential over-agers, F Tomas Soustal and D Devante Stephens, both of whom have been training-camp participants despite their aspirations to turn pro this fall . . . . Kyle Crosbie, the Rockets’ smallest forward in Saturday’s lineup at 5-foot-9.5 and 145 pounds, fired wide on a breakaway in the final minute of the first period.