Raiders select Matej Kubiesa with second round pick of the CHL Import Draft

With the 75th overall pick of the CHL Import Draft, the Raiders selected 2006-born forward Matej Kubiesa out of Frydek-Mistek, Czechia.

The 16-year-old spent 2022-23 playing in two different countries, splitting time between Sweden and Czechia. He played for the Malmo Redhawks J18 program in Sweden, where he put together 15 points (8G-7A) in 17 games.

“He’s a younger player with tremendous speed and one on one skill,” general manager Curtis Hunt said. “He plays with energy and has a physical presence. We think he will fit in nicely with our group this year and beyond. Matej shows the ability to play with compete and physicality, and the fans are going to be pretty excited to see him play.”

He also suited up in 12 games for HC Ocelari Trinec U17, tallying 16 points (7G-9A). He exploded in 14 playoff games with the team, scoring 13 goals while adding ten assists. In the 2021-22 season with the same team, Kubiesa totaled 40 points (21G-19A) in just 25 games. He suited up in four games with the U20 team as well in 2022-23, where he scored one goal.

Kubiesa represented Czechia on the national stage as well, playing at the U17 World Hockey Challenge, where he notched an assist in six games.

With the pick of Kubiesa, that wraps up the CHL Import Draft for the Raiders. The team selected Krzysztof Macias with the 15th overall pick.