Rockets Select D-Man Kaedan Korczak with 1st Pick in Bantam Draft
The Kelowna Rockets added to its stable of young defenceman with its first overall pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, trading up to choose 11th from pick number 20.
After trading first round picks with Red Deer, Kelowna picked 6-1, 170 pound defenceman Kaedan Korczak with the 11th overall selection of the draft.
Korczak played midget AAA with the Yorkton Maulers last year, despite being only second year bantam age. Rockets Assistant General Manager Lorne Frey said the team made the trade to pick higher when Kaedan was still available.
“We’ve had a philosophy for years that the back-end is very important,” said Frey. “You don’t win without some defencemen that can defend and also provide some offense. Kaedan is a big, solid, all around two-way player. He’s a good skater, he’s mobile and can play in every situation. He has a chance to be a stable defenceman for years for us.”
Korczac will play one more year at the midget AAA level in Yorkton before being eligible to join the Rockets. He will attend the Kelowna training camp this summer and said it was a dream come true to be selected by the Rockets.
“I was in shock (when they drafted me). It was a very exciting moment,” he said. “I’m really excited to be drafted by Kelowna. They develop good players, it’s a nice city with a nice rink and a great organization.”
Frey said Korczak has good skills and can play in all situations, including power play and penalty kill and the Yorkton defender said he likes to join the rush but also be responsible defensively.
“I’m a two-way player,” he said. “I know when to jump in the rush and create an offensive attack and also know how to stay in my own end and play defense.”
