Wenatchee Wild Goaltender Tvrznik Selected in NHL Draft Saturday
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Wenatchee Wild, proud members of the Western Hockey League (WHL), are excited to announce the selection of 2007-born goaltender Tobias Tvrznik in this weekend’s National Hockey League Draft. Tvrznik was chosen with a late fourth-round pick, going to the Colorado Avalanche at 126th overall.
A native of Litomerice, Czechia, Tvrznik is coming off a standout season as a WHL rookie, earning a finalist nod for the Del Wilson Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the WHL’s Goaltender of the Year. He was also selected as the Western Conference’s Second Team All-Star goaltender. He earned his 2025-26 accolades with 16 wins, while carrying some of the top marks on the circuit. He finished the regular season with a .913 save percentage, good for third on the league leaderboard while facing the ninth-most shots in the league, and picked up his first WHL shutout February 6 in a 2-0 defeat of the Victoria Royals.
The 10th overall selection in last year’s Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, Tvrznik began his WHL career with a 60-save showing against the Everett Silvertips on September 20, tying a 29-year-old franchise record dating back to the WHL team’s inaugural season as the Edmonton ICE in 1996, the first of his seven games this season with 40 points or more. He would also add an NCAA Division I commitment to Ohio State University late in the season, and was nominated to the inaugural WHL Prospects Game Presented by Showpass before being forced to bow out due to injury.
Tvrznik was especially prominent on the NHL draft radar of late, earning an invitation to the league’s annual Scouting Combine at the start of this month. He came into the weekend ranked among the top eight draft-eligible North American goaltenders on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking list.
Both Wenatchee’s current Western Hockey League franchise and the Valley’s former Junior “A” club are well-acquainted with seeing players taken in the NHL Draft. Tvrznik becomes the 45th player from the current WHL team to go in the NHL Draft since its inaugural season in 1996-97. Eight of the former Junior “A” team’s players heard their own names called in the draft during Wenatchee’s time in the North American Hockey League and British Columbia Hockey League from 2008 to 2023.
The Wenatchee Wild congratulate Tobias Tvrznik on his selection in this weekend’s National Hockey League Draft, and wish him continued success as the 2026-27 season nears.
