Photo credit: RocketFAN

By Regan Bartel

Czechia born forward back in Kelowna

Gabriel Szturc promises to ‘show the way’

Oct 10, 2023 | 11:20 AM

You won’t find too many 20-year-old players overly excited to return to junior hockey.

By this point, turning pro is on their minds, while many accept the fact that even another season in the WHL won’t do them much good, they outright quit, instead choosing to take the scholarship money the league offers for every year of service and head off to post-secondary schooling.

Kelowna Rockets Gabriel Szturc is the exception to the rule.

The team captain has returned from the NHL training camp of the Tampa Bay Lighting, where he also had a cup of coffee with the Lightning’s American Hockey affiliate, before choosing Kelowna as the best bet to pursue his goal of someday winning the Stanley Cup.

“I am so excited,” Szturc told (https://omny.fm/shows/rocketfan/gabriel-szturc-is-back) RocketFAN. “I think Kelowna is a nice place to live and play hockey. I couldn’t wait to get back here and have another great season.”

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Szturc had the privilege of suiting up for two NHL pre-season games while with the Lightning.

“It was an amazing experience, especially my first game against Nashville,” he said. “They had an NHL squad [not a lot of rookies in the lineup], so it was cool playing against guys like Ryan O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi. We actually won that game and the next one against Carolina, so it was nice to be a part of a winning team.”

Can the likable forward, who is better at speaking English than he believes, envision playing in the NHL someday?

“I have to keep working hard,” Szturc said, knowing what will allow him to have a long professional career. “I need to believe in myself and trust the process.”

Szturc is an above-average 20-year-old after putting up 79 points in 56 games a season ago, which was good for second in team scoring only behind teammate Andrew Cristall.

“I am still young, so I still need to get better in all areas,” Szturc said honestly. “I am still getting stronger and building my confidence with hockey plays and winning hockey games.”

When asked if he could put up more points this season, he grinned and said, “Ya, I think so,” with a certain amount of modesty in his voice.

You would think a 90-point season could be in the cards for the fleet-footed forward, who will likely play alongside his road roommate.

“He [Andrew Cristall] is a special player,” Szturc added. “His hockey sense is high. We can see each other on the ice and our chemistry is unbelievable, so I can’t wait to play with him this year.”

Don’t be fooled into thinking that without Cristall, Szturc wouldn’t have generated a career-high in points a season ago. Of the 28 goals Cristall scored, Szturc was in on 15 of them (54%), either earning the primary or a secondary assist.

“We texted with each other this summer and during training camp,” Szturc forming a friendship with Cristall, with the two playing with the same inner intensity which separates them from many. “We keep contact with each other and it is so nice to be here with him.”

Szturc was named the team’s 28th captain in January, becoming the first import player to be given the highest leadership honour on the team. This season, the Cesky Tesin product becomes the first two-spotter on the Rockets roster since Jan Fadry was also a 20-year-old of Czechia descent in the 2000-2001 season.

“My confidence [as the leader of the team] is the same as last year,” he said. “I will be the same captain, helping the young guys and showing them what it takes to be a WHL player on the ice and off the ice.”

And in his endearing Czechia accent, the player teammates call ‘Gabby’ ended the interview perfectly by saying this:

“I will show the way.”