Day two of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft was a defining moment in Kaedan Korczak鈥檚 hockey career.
The 琉璃神社 Rockets defenceman was selected 41st overall by the Vegas Golden Knights, thus expediting the busy off-season for the third Rockets player selected at the year鈥檚 draft.
From the IIHF U18 Hockey Championships in April to Vegas training camp through the summer, Korczak hopes to build on those experiences in his continuing development this season.
鈥淕etting that extra year is going to be a big part of this season,鈥� Korczak said.
鈥淲ith the Memorial Cup, it鈥檚 going to be a fun and big year for the Rockets and I鈥檓 really looking forward to it.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to getting back to routine in 琉璃神社.鈥�
READ MORE: Rockets鈥� star impresses at World Junior showcase
琉璃神社 will host the Memorial Cup in May 2020.Hosting the tournament earns an automatic berth for the host city.
鈥淓veryone being a year older, we鈥檙e going to have a really good team,鈥� Korczak said.
鈥淟ast year wasn鈥檛 great, but this year we鈥檙e looking to make playoffs and make a big push for the Memorial Cup.鈥�
His Rockets teammates Lassi Thomson, Nolan Foote and Dillon Hamaliuk were also selected at the NHL draft in June.
Korczak has talked with his teammates about their draft experiences, as well as their expectations for the upcoming season.
He said he didn鈥檛 know what to think after being drafted, especially since Vegas traded up to grab the 6-foot-2 defenceman, a similar storyline to how he ended up being drafted as a bantam by the Rockets.
鈥淎ll I was feeling was joy and happiness. That was a fun day for sure.鈥�
At the draft, we traded 馃啓 to get
鈥� Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights)
Now we're excited to watch him become a pro 馃槑
READ MORE: Rockets make big moves at WHL draft
Enjoying some brief time off in his hometown of Yorkton, Sask., before Rockets鈥� camp in September, Korczak is prepared to return to 琉璃神社 in a bigger role.
鈥淯s older guys will have to lead the younger guys and show them how it鈥檚 done this season,鈥� he said.
The Rockets pre-season starts Aug. 30 with full roster camps starting shortly after ahead of the season-opener on Sept. 21.
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