Photo credit: Keith Dwiggins

By Regan Bartel

Rookie forward has a nose for the net

Kalder Varga: Every game is an education

Dec 4, 2024 | 7:00 AM

“Shoot the puck!” is a phrase often echoed by hockey fans and coaches, especially when a team struggles to score. It’s a reminder for players – particularly those with the ability to finish – to stop overthinking and simply take the shot.

Too often, players defer to teammates, looking for the perfect play or pass. But sometimes, the best option is to fire the puck on the net. By doing so, they create opportunities—whether it’s a rebound, a deflection, or just an unexpected goal.

Kelowna Rockets rookie forward Kalder Varga found himself in that very situation earlier this season. When the puck was on his stick, he often hesitated, passing to a teammate or trying to make an extra move, only for it to get stripped away just as quickly as he received it.

“He can skate, he can shoot, and he has a lot of skill,” Rockets head coach Kris Mallette said of Varga’s recent offensive potential. “Right now, he’s playing a more direct, north-south game. He’s stronger along the boards, and that’s allowing his skill to shine through. The goal he scored in Portland—he popped the water bottle by taking the puck into a dangerous area and scoring a highlight-reel goal.”

In that game – a 6-4 road loss to the Portland Winterhawks – Varga fired a season-high six shots on net, a sign of his growing confidence and willingness to shoot.

The lost art of true sports storytelling

Why athlete stories should never fade

Jul 22, 2025

One call, one commitment

Luke Schenn's call, Mazden Leslie's answer

Jul 19, 2025

Is the NCAA grass really greener?

WHL's grit and grind is unmatched

Jul 10, 2025

“He needs to put himself in those positions to score,” Mallette continued. “Earlier in the season, he was reaching for pucks, not really competing for them. Now, he’s stronger on the puck and more willing to battle along the wall. He’s got the edge work and strength to withstand big defensemen. One or two quick strides, and he can create separation. We’re starting to see more of that.”

Varga, in limited ice time, has goals in three of his last four games, with his first multi-goal game coming at Veterans Memorial Coliseum – likely the same rink where his father, John, scored during his own playing days when the Rockets’ franchise was based in Tacoma, Washington.

“We can talk about how more ice time leads to more confidence, but that’s all part of the process,” Mallette said. “Is this how it’ll be moving forward? Who knows? But these young guys are giving themselves a great opportunity to earn those minutes.”

Varga is currently playing on his off-wing, a position he might not view as an upgrade, but he’s moved from the fourth line to the third. Could he earn a spot on the second power play unit? “Why not?” said Mallette. “We’ve been giving these young players an incentive, and they’ve been taking it. I’ll live with the mistakes as long as the work ethic is there. It’s up to the player to perform.”

The well-spoken rookie is a student of the game, but in an effort to get better, and wondering why it doesn’t come as easy as it has in the past, he has to remember growing pains are part of the process in becoming a better junior player.

“I need to remember I am getting stronger, getting in better condition by going on the bike a little bit more,” Varga told RocketFAN. “You are working in the d-zone which is something you don’t really hammer down when you are on one of the top teams in the country, you really don’t look at those details.”

With all four goals this season on the road, one shy of teammate Kanjyu Gojsic for the rookie lead despite playing in two fewer games, Varga is waiting to score that elusive first goal on home ice in front of the Prospera Place crowd.

“It has been a self-analysis of where I need to tweak my game, and make myself better as an all-around player,” Varga admitted.

“I just try to get one-percent better every day and control things that I can control.”