The Guelph Storm selected Slovakian winger Timothy Kazda with the fourth overall pick in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
The team acquired the selection position weeks earlier through a trade.
Kazda, 18, recorded 22 goals and 19 assists in 59 games for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League last season.
He also earned tournament MVP honors at the World Under-18 Challenge.
Storm General Manager George Burnett said the decision came after monitoring the late-birthdate prospect, who is widely projected as a potential first-round selection for the 2027 NHL draft.
"He's the reason we moved up in the draft, he's a big, strong power forward who can score," Burnett said.
Burnett noted extensive discussions with Kazda's family and representation to facilitate the transition into the Ontario Hockey League.
"We've been following him for a number of years.
He was undecided a year ago at the draft (if he wanted to come to the CHL), but he made the decision to come and he's excited to be heading here," Burnett said.
Brandon Wheat Kings Adjust Strategy
Meanwhile, the Brandon Wheat Kings altered their draft strategy after Russian defenseman Daniil Skvortsov was released and Finnish blue-liner Samu Alalauri accelerated his entry into the University of Massachusetts.
Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray addressed inquiries regarding Czech goaltender Filip Ruzicka, whose former European club Mountfield has reportedly tried to retain him.
"I know there is speculation out there whether he is going to be back, but we're relying on his agent and he's assured us it's going to get done," Murray said.
The Wheat Kings used special roster list rules to retain Alalauri's rights, allowing them to provisionally carry four import players while bypassing their third-round draft selection in anticipation of Ruzicka's return.
"There is always a little bit of worry with getting transfers done, but we've been assured it's going to get done but until we see him here, you're always a little nervous," Murray said.
The emerging trend of collegiate programs recruiting younger European athletes has created additional competition for CHL franchises.
"Alalauri is a perfect example.
We picked him a year ago and knew he wasn't going to play for us last year but the hope was he was going to play for us this year.
All signs indicated that way and then he made his NCAA commitment, and probably two months ago we got word the school wanted him now," Murray said.
The Wheat Kings held picks 45 and 106 to fill their open roster spots, opting not to trade up due to uncertainty across three major junior hockey leagues.
"That's what we're dealing with.
He has a lot of schooling to do over the summer before he's eligible, but we're planning accordingly that he won't be available.
If it gets to a point where his schooling isn't where it needs to be to go to college, then we have a good problem and we'll address it then," Murray said.
Team staff spent months gathering player intelligence through NHL scouting networks and sports agencies rather than traditional in-person evaluation.
"Right now we're moving without Alalauri," Murray said.
The draft process was further complicated by a new regulatory framework that permits 20-year-old international players to be selected in any round while restricting 16-year-old prospects to the first round only.
"You can trade up, but is your guy there?" Murray asked.
The operational shift expanded roster building options but accelerated the exhaustion of available talent pools during secondary rounds.
"That's one of the biggest things. There is a little bit of risk in that.
You put a lot of work in and just never know what's going to happen.
Dealing with one league is one thing, but dealing with three leagues, you just hope for the best that who you want is going to be there," Murray said.
Brandon executives finalized their board rankings as internal scouting files remained highly congruent with competing franchises across the OHL and QMJHL.
"It's been going for months or maybe even the start of the year," Murray said.
The structural adjustments marked the second consecutive season where franchises could carry three active import players on their official club registers.
"We get tips and obviously it heats up in the last couple of months.
We get a lot of names coming across our plate through agents, through NHL networks. It's not an easy draft.
There are a lot of things up in the air," Murray said.
The selection path concluded with the Oshawa Generals, Baie-Comeau Drakkar, and Lethbridge Hurricanes exercising the top three initial picks before Guelph selected Kazda.
"I think it's pretty consistent," Murray said.
Kazda, who previously achieved a 228-point career at Seacoast Performance Academy before his USHL stint, is committed to join Boston College in 2027.
"There are good players out there for sure. You don't know if players' names are circulated across all three leagues or a few teams.
That's the challenging part of it: Once word gets out there, it spreads pretty fast and a lot of the lists are the same," Murray said.
