WHL Stars & NHL Debuts: former Rebels captain Uchacz gets first spin in Vegas

Las Vegas, Nev.- Under the glittering lights of Las Vegas, it’s important to know when to hold ’em, when to fold ’em, and when to lay a thunderous hit.

Kai Uchacz has figured that out quickly.

The 22-year-old dished out five hits in 11:49 of ice time in his NHL debut for the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night, marking a memorable 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks with his family in attendance.

“It was very important to have my family here with me,” Uchacz told reporters postgame. “When I was going out today, I mean, it’s a solo lap, but I knew this whole time it’s not just for me, it’s for my family too. Last, I guess, year and a bit in the AHL, working every day, just kind of to get to this point and play my first game, I kind of go out there with the last name on my back, and I’m kind of playing for my family.”

WELCOME TO THE @NHL, KAI UCHACZ!!!! pic.twitter.com/wNC8MSczNW

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 5, 2026

The 6-foot-2, 209-pound centreman is in the midst of his second season of professional hockey after signing with Vegas as an undrafted free agent ahead of 2024-25.

He’s tallied 51 points (21G-30A) in 107 AHL contests with the Henderson Silver Knights.

“I thought he did a good job,” Golden Knights Head Coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He was trying to be physical when he could, competed hard in the circle…

He’s got one under his belt now. He’s done good work down in Henderson. Ideally, for an organization, if you can reward the guys that kind of work their way up and play hard down there, that’s what we want to do, if we can.”

Uchacz logged 209 points (109G-100A) in 245 regular-season WHL games over parts of five seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Red Deer Rebels, where he served as captain for his final year of eligibility.

He registered back-to-back 80-plus-point seasons to close out his major junior career, highlighted by a 50-goal run in 2022-23.

The Calgary, Alta. product is a two-time WHL Central Division First Team All-Star.

Vegas (26-16-14) looks to strengthen its grasp on first place in the Pacific Division when it hosts the Los Angeles Kings (23-18-14) in its final game before the Olympic break on Thursday night.