Photo credit: Chicago Mission Coyote Hockey Club

By Regan Bartel

Kalder Varga waiting in the wings

Rockets bring in prospect for eye-opening experience

Jan 8, 2024 | 8:00 AM

Kelowna Rockets training camp this fall was eye-opening for 16-year-old American-born prospect Kalder Varga.

The Chicago, Illinois product’s welcome-to-the-league moment took a further jump forward this past week when he joined the team for practice, which included a trip on the bus for a road game against the Wenatchee Wild.

“It is a good experience to be around the team right now,” Varga told RocketFAN. “While I can’t play, practicing with them and seeing how fit they are and getting up to that pace is valuable for me.”

A similar situation played out last January when the Edmonton Oil Kings, who selected Frisco, Texas d-man Blake Fiddler with the first pick in the 2022 U.S Priority Draft, joined the WHL team for a series of practices to give him a head start into the integration of the program.

“It is frustrating watching from the stands,” Varga said about being ineligible to play a game until next fall. “I am learning anyway by just watching. These guys [even in practice] are much faster and much stronger to knock off the puck. You have to give 100 percent every time you want that puck. These guys are much older than me, so I have to go 100 percent every rep.”

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Varga was the Rockets’ first selection in the 2023 WHL U.S Priority Draft, chosen seventh overall, before committing to the team by signing a WHL Scholarship and Development contract last May.

“I have been playing well with my club team,” Varga reflected on his stint this season with Chicago Mission U15. “Our team is top-three in the country, so we are going to make a run for the nationals. It is a great feeling going to all these tournaments winning a lot.”

On the fast track in getting bigger and stronger, the likable forward was also sporting a new look, displaying braces on both his upper and lower teeth.

“I was hoping to have them off, but my dentist had other ideas,” he added. “I came up here and everyone saw me with the braces, so I have had a few jokes thrown at me, but it is all good.”

Despite having difficulty eating, and at times speaking with clarity, the well-spoken personality will have chicklets to admire when he attempts to crack the lineup next season.

Head Coach Kris Mallette is excited about what the future holds for Varga, along with the next wave of talent coming from the 2008-born draft class.

“Great kid. Big smile on his face with a new set of braces,” Mallette offered. “We enjoy having him around and our players do. He is going to be a piece of our program moving forward.”

When the puck drops next season, Varga could be joined by the likes of Eli Barrett, Owen Folstrom, and Kanjyu Gojsic as fresh faces wearing Kelowna Rockets colours.

“We have to be careful,” Mallette cautioned about putting too much pressure on the young core. “These guys are not going to jump into a top-six role like Andrew Cristall. When it comes to Varga, we are hoping for the same scoring prowess as his dad back in the day.”

Mallette knows that will be hard to attain, considering Kalder’s father, John, was a former 60-goal scorer with the Tacoma Rockets in the 1993-94 season.

Meantime, Kalder Varga is being a sponge, watching and learning from Andrew Cristall, a teammate he hopes will still be around when he makes his WHL rookie debut in 2024-2025.

“He is great with the puck,” Varga said, impressed by the second-round NHL draft pick of the Washington Capitals. “He is a wizard. I don’t think I can match some of his moves. He has a lot of patience with the puck and holds onto it to make that perfect play. It has been great watching him this week.”

Varga has even skated with Cutter Gauthier, a 19-year-old first-round selection of the Philadelphia Flyers, who helped the US win gold at the most recent world junior championships in Sweden.

With straight teeth and likely a bit more size when he returns for the main camp next August, Varga is excited about making the jump to major junior.

“Whatever the coaches want out of me,” the grade 10 student said about cracking the lineup.

“I won’t be playing much or producing much, but all I can do is work hard.”