Photo credit: RocketFAN

By Regan Bartel

Varga/Gojsic bring it on day one

Fleet of foot forwards shine at Rockets rookie camp

Aug 31, 2023 | 5:51 PM

The future was on display Thursday morning as Kelowna Rockets rookie camp opened at Prospera Place.

RocketFAN took in the mid-morning session which featured two forwards who are expected to make significant impacts with the team in the not-so-distant future. Fifteen-year-old Kalder Varga was skating for Team Black while Kanjyu Gojsic was representing Team Grey. Neither would disappoint in looking every bit the exceptional player in their age group. Varga was the Rockets’ first pick in the 2023 US Prospects draft and has future captain written all over him.

RocketFAN spoke to the 15-year-old after his first sessions and we asked the Geneva, Illinois product about finding chemistry with unfamiliar line-mates.

“I am not afraid to talk on the bench”, Varga confidently in front of a microphone sounding much older than his birth certificate. “I try to get to know them (teammates) before games. I asked them what their name is and where they come from. I don’t think it is really a problem playing with these new guys.”

Varga scored twice in the opening scrimmage while Goijsic, a third-round selection in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, who likely should have been chosen sooner, showed some good signs with the puck. Both passed the eye test of players who wanted the puck, could generate chances when it was on their stick, and looked compact, not lanky in their gear. Dumbed down, RocketFAN would refer to these two looking like hockey players.

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Here are a few other observations from the mid-morning skate:

• We look for players to make an impact in some way every shift. It is the ‘do something’ that catches our eye. Boston Schmidt did that for us, by scoring on a penalty shot after being hauled down in the mid-morning scrimmage. Schmidt is already in our good books after being raised in Pilot Butte, Saskatchewan. Schmidt was the Rockets 9^th round selection in May.
• Team Grey featured d-man Sullivan Fogolin, the grandson of former Edmonton Oilers captain Lee Fogolin. Fogolin was the Rockets’ 7th-round pick in 2023 and resides in St. Albert.
• Only one of the 76 players attending rookie camp tips the scales at over 200 pounds. That honor goes to Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan’s James Norman. The Rockets have had success with players from that neck of the woods. Blake Comeau, while born in Vancouver, grew up there, while DJ King, acquired in a trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, helped the Rockets win the 2004 Memorial Cup.
• Veteran forwards Max Graham and Turner McMillen were the referees for the game. Graham has a monster season coming up as one of only three 19-year-old forwards, joining Ty Hurley and the newly acquired Michael Cecek. The Winnipeg product, Cecek was acquired in a deal with the Chiefs back in late May. McMillen is fighting for an overage spot, with Dylan Wightman and Jackson DeSouza also 20-year-olds. The waters will get muddier if, and a big if, captain Gabriel Szturc somehow makes his way back to Kelowna if a pro-opportunity fizzles out.
• An interesting observation while speaking with parents, watching intently at the action on the ice. Several spoke about how impressed they were with Prospera Place, which is interesting when a new set of eyes view the 6,007-seat facility. It has been chastised after a recent assessment of the 23-year-old building showed it is in fair to good shape, yet it wasn’t good enough to meet the criteria to host a Memorial Cup tournament. Clearly, to a newcomer, the building doesn’t look as tired as locals view it.