FRISCO, Texas – With the No. 13 pick of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, the Dallas Stars have selected center Radek Faksa, from the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League.
Acquired by the Kitchener Rangers in the 1st round, (22nd overall) in the 2011 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, Faksa combines his speed and skill to be a constant threat. He is a strong skater and has excellent puck protection skills that he uses to drive the net.
Faksa will attend the Stars’ annual prospect camp next month and their training camp in September but will likely return to the Rangers in the fall. Current transfer agreements limit players drafted into the CHL from playing in the American Hockey League until they’re 20 years old, or until they’ve completed four seasons in Canadian Juniors.
Ranked seventh among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Faksa played junior hockey in his native Czech Republic before traveling across the pond to play for Kitchener in 2011. During the 2011-12 season, he skated in 24 games for HC Trinec’s junior team, collecting nine goals and six assists for 15 points. He also appeared in 28 games for HC Trinec’s under-18 club, earning 49 points (19 G, 30 A).
He led all OHL rookies in goals (29), assists (37) and points (66) during the 2011-12 season. He also led the league’s first-year players in game-winning goals (6) and plus-minus (+19).
Radek Faksa/Photo Credit: Kitchener Rangers
Faksa was selected to play for the Czech Republic’s 2012 World Junior Championship team, scoring two goals in six games. He also represented the Czech Republic at the 2011 Under-18 World Championship. Faksa, 18, lived in a hotel for five years while playing for Trinec, which is roughly 50 miles southeast of his hometown. His mother is a former figure skater, and taught him to skate at the age of three. His older brother, Martin, was a defenseman, and his uncle, Stanislav Pavelec, played in Czech pro leagues for seven years.
Contact the writer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com
