Long list of Rebels eligible for this weekend’s NHL Draft
Being one of the youngest teams in the Western Hockey League last season means a whopping 15 current Red Deer Rebels are eligible to have their name called at the 2026 NHL Draft this weekend in Buffalo, New York.
The group is led by four players included in the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings…
Beckett Hamilton (Forward, ’08 – Saskatoon, SK) – 33rd North American Skaters
Cameron Kuzma (Forward, ’08 – St. Albert, AB) – 116th
Kalder Varga (Forward, ’08 – Geneva, IL, USA) – 122nd
Jiri Kamas (Defence, ’08 – Plzeň, Czechia) – 134th
Hamilton led the Rebels with 62 points in 67 games in 2025-26 and was the club’s Most Valuable Player. He had an assist in the WHL Prospects Game in February and played for Canada at the 2026 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship.
Kuzma posted 21 points in 34 games with the Rebels after he was acquired on January 2 via trade from the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Varga was acquired from the Kelowna Rockets on January 2 and went on to record 26 points, including 13 goals, in 34 games with the Rebels. He won gold with USA at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Kamas joined the Rebels through a trade from the Penticton Vees on January 8 and posted seven points in 32 games. He had two points in five playoff games. Kamas played for Czechia at the U18 Men’s World Championship.
The long list of draft eligible Rebels also includes…
Poul Andersen (Forward, ‘07 – St. Louis Park, MN, USA) – After joining the Rebels midseason in a trade from Edmonton, Andersen netted 14 goals and 30 points in 36 games and was named as the club’s Most Underrated Player.
Noah Chadi (Defence, ‘08 – Edmonton, AB) – Signed with the Rebels midseason from Grande Prairie (AJHL) and had three points in 33 games.
Owen DeWitt (Forward, ‘07 – Sicamous, BC) – Joined the Rebels in November from Camrose (AJHL)
Cameron Dillard (Defence, ‘08 – Flower Mound, TX, USA) – Played in 13 regular season games with the Rebels after being acquired from the Everett Silvertips and had three points in five playoff games.
Matthew Kondro (Goaltender, ’07 – St. Albert, AB) – Joined the Rebels full-time after beginning the season with Lloydminster (AJHL) and recorded 19 wins with a 3.49 goals against average and .892 save percentage. Kondro was named the Rebels Pattison Media Rookie of the Year.
Matus Lisy (Defence, ‘07 – Bratislava, Slovakia) – 22 points in 62 games in his first season of North American hockey. Lisy played for Slovakia at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.
Landon MacSwain (Forward, ‘07 – Anchorage, AK, USA) – The big rookie recorded 12 goals and 24 points in 62 games and led the Rebels with a +6 plus/minus.
Jake Missura (Defence, ‘08 – Saskatoon, SK) – Recorded six points in his second year with the Rebels and was the only player to dress in all 68 of the club’s regular season games.
Peyton Shore (Goaltender, ’07 – Winnipeg, MB) – In his second season with the Rebels Shore appeared in 21 games and posted a 4.71 goals against average and .859 save percentage.
Patrick Sopiarz (Forward, ‘08 – Edmonton, AB) – Acquired from the Prince George Cougars in December, Sopiarz played 39 games with the Rebels, collecting 19 points, and had two points in five playoff games.
Cole Temple (Forward, ‘07 – Brandon, MB) – Temple was limited to 16 games with the Rebels due to injury and posted nine points after being acquired from Everett. He had one point in four playoff games.
The Red Deer Rebels have had 68 players selected at the NHL Draft since the club’s inaugural season in the Western Hockey League in 1992-93.
Round one of the 2026 NHL Draft goes Friday night followed by rounds two to seven on Saturday.
