Photo credit: Chicago Mission Tier I AAA Youth Hockey Club

By Regan Bartel

Chicagoan chosen in US Priority Draft

“He landed in the perfect spot” – ex-Tacoma Rockets sniper John Varga

May 10, 2023 | 6:45 PM

Some of John Varga’s best hockey memories were made in the Western Hockey League.

It would only seem fitting that the 49-year-old former Tacoma Rockets forward would like for his youngest son to have a similar experience.

That possibility took a step forward this morning when the Kelowna Rockets selected Kalder Varga with the team’s first-round pick, 7^th overall in the US Priority Draft.

“It’s a great day”, John told RocketFAN. “My history with the Hamilton family, between Bruce and Gavin, was really special in critical years of my upbringing, not only in hockey but being a young man. I look back at my career, and it was a special place for my experience with the Rockets playing junior hockey in the Western Hockey League.”

Varga’s fifteen-year-old son was born in Geneva, Illinois, just outside of Chicago where John grew up and eventually retired once his pro career ended.

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While Kalder was born outside of the WHL’s territory for selecting U.S born players, John did his research and contacted the WHL head office in Calgary to see if his son was eligible to play in a league he remembered fondly.

“I spoke to Richard Doerksen [WHL Vice-President, Hockey], and he recommended we put a letter together on the request to play in the WHL, which would be screened through the CHL, and see what they say. Within 48 hours we learned that he [Kalder] was going to get approved for not only the WHL but the U.S Priority Draft, which was great news for us.

“When we surveyed the options that Kalder had, between the OHL and USHL, we immediately thought how great it would be to play out west”, John added. “Getting drafted by Kelowna couldn’t have worked out any better for him and for us.”

It is only the second time a former Tacoma/Kelowna Rockets player has had a son drafted by the team. Turner McMillen was the first, following in the footsteps of father Dave, who captained the Tacoma Rockets in the early 90s.

“To think back when I was a Tacoma Rocket, how great it was to wear that jersey”, John remembered his four years while playing along the I-5. “To play in that league and how fun it was. For my son to have that same amount of fun factor and the atmosphere of pursuing a pro hockey career, it is special as a parent.”

When RocketFAN asked John if offered a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement by the Rockets organization, would the family sign it?

“That’s the plan. I absolutely loved my experience and he is just as excited to begin that journey.”

John Varga admits life has been busy for the father of four, which includes 20 year-old son, Kaden, who played overseas in Hungry this past winter. It hasn’t afforded him the luxury of visiting Kelowna, something that will change in a hurry when Rockets rookie camp starts in late August.

“I don’t know if I stopped in Kelowna for gas or even Tim Hortons”, John chuckled. “I learned about Kelowna from a former teammate [John DePourcq]. He was running a hockey school in the Okanagan Valley and was talking it up. DePourcq [who grew up in Summerland] had rave reviews about the area and the lifestyle. There are lots of great places to play in the Western Hockey League, but the lifestyle of a hockey player living in Kelowna will be amazing if he gets that opportunity and earns it.”

John Varga, a fifth-round NHL draft pick of the Washington Capitals in 1992, was an offensive star with the Tacoma Rockets for four seasons, putting up 25 goals in his rookie season in 1991 before finding the back of the net 60 times and collecting 122 points in 1993-94.

Are there any similarities between how he played the game and how Kalder handles himself on the ice?

“I think he is a first-pass player”, John assessing his son’s maturation as a player. “He can move the puck and get up ice, get open, and create offense. Proper hockey IQ is important as he moves up to junior, but we’ve taught him to be a team player first and play a 200-foot game. At the end of the day, he loves to create offense.”

John Varga still holds the franchise record for goals in a season (60), and played for the US at the World Junior Hockey Championships in 1994.

“When I came into the league, I was a shoot-first player. I think his [Kalder] change of speed separates him from me.”

The Varga’s are no strangers to the hockey lifestyle. John’s father, Lou, was the equipment manager for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks for 31 years.

“He came into the NHL in 1969, and I grew up as a rink rat”, John reaching deep into the memory bank. “I had more ice than I could handle at old Chicago Stadium skating after practice and skating with the injured players.”

Despite the busy NHL schedule, once a year, Lou would head across the country to watch his son play on the west coast.

“The first game he saw me play, I had a hat-trick and a fight in Seattle. I won’t forget that game because it was against [goalie] Chris Osgood.”

Things in hockey change in a hurry. A year ago, the Varga’s didn’t envision the WHL being on the radar. Fast forward to today, if things go well, a second Varga could be wearing Rockets colours in the fall of 2024.

“Hopefully one day we are going to drop Kalder off, and we know he is in good hands”, John concluded. “It comes down to trust, and as a parent and as a hockey guy, we know he is going to be taken care of in terms of his development and the care of his career.

“There were lots of teams that were interested in Kalder, and I think he landed in absolutely the perfect spot.”