Portland, Ore. – The Portland Winterhawks Hockey Club announced today, January 10, that defenseman Max Pšenička has signed a WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement with the club.

Pšenicka, 17, was originally selected by the Kelowna Rockets in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2024 CHL Import Draft before Portland acquired his WHL rights in October.

This season, the Prague, Czechia-native has split time between HC Plzeň U20 and their top club in the Czech Extraliga. With the U20 team, he tallied 11 points (3G, 8A) in 16 games, while also contributing two goals in 16 Extraliga contests. On the international stage, he represented Czechia with the U18 national team, posting six points (2G, 4A) in 10 games during the 2024-25 campaign. Before joining Plzeň, the 6-foot-4, 178-pound blueliner spent time with HC Slavia Praha’s U17 and U20 programs, amassing 50 points (13G, 37A) in 70 U17 games.

Pšenička is eligible for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and was named to the NHL Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch list.

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