Sting Select Slovakian Prospect Roman Kukumberg in 2023 CHL Import Draft
The Sarnia Sting welcomed Roman Kukumberg, a Slovakian prospect to the Hockey Club Wednesday morning through the 2023 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft.
Introduced in 1992, the CHL Import Draft was created to allow CHL clubs to select eligible players residing outside of Canada and the United States. In this year’s Import Draft the Sting held the 43rd overall selection.
General Manager Dylan Seca used the Sting’s first-round pick to select 18-year-old left shooting winger Roman Kukumberg from the Slovan Bratislava team in the SvkE.
Through the 2023-2024 regular season and 38 games played, the 6’0”, 183-pound native of Bratislava, Slovakia tallied 6 goals and 8 assists for a total of 14 points. Kukumberg also represented Slovakia in multiple international tournaments this season. In the 2023 U18 World Hockey Championship, the winger tallied 3 assists and a goal through seven games played.
On selecting the Forward, Seca commented:“We’re excited to add another competitive player who plays with an edge, has the tools to be an effective 200ft player. He has international experience with Slovakia and we know he’s excited to be coming to Sarnia.”
The CHL Import Draft marked the final of three Drafts the Sting participated in this spring, including the 2023 Ontario Hockey League U16 and U18 Priority Selections. The Sting look forward to opening Development Camp in late August as part of preparations for the 2023-24 OHL season, set to start on Friday, September 29th when the Sting host the Windsor Spitfires at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena at 7:05pm.