Red Deer Rebels
Red Deer Rebels get their guy in the CHL Import Draft
News release from the Red Deer Rebels
The Red Deer Rebels have selected Czech forward Samuel Drancak with the 54th overall selection at the 2023 CHL Import Draft.
With seven teams ahead of the Rebels passing on their selection, Drancak was the 47th player chosen in Wednesday’s draft.
Drancak, who is 17, played last season with HC Motor České Budějovice in the Czech U17 league. He was the league’s second leading scorer with 65 points in 34 games, including 17 goals and 48 assists. He also played nine games in 2022-23 at the U20 level, racking up 12 points, and suited up for two games with HC Motor České Budějovice in the Czech professional league.
The native of Strakonice, Czechia also played at last year’s World U17 Hockey Challenge in Langley, BC.
“He was our target going into the draft. He’s a good two-way player with skill. We’re excited about him being a solid player for us in the WHL,” says Rebels Associate General Manager Shaun Sutter.
Samuel Drancak
Birthdate: Feb 04, 2006
Strakonice, CZE
Position: C
Age: 17
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 179 lbs.
Shoots: L
Youth Team: HC Ceske Budejovice
Each team in the Canadian Hockey League is permitted to have two import players on their roster. Czech forward Frantisek Formanek, selected 14th overall by the Rebels at the 2021 CHL Import Draft, enters his third season with the club.
From the Red Deer Rebels
REBELS THIS WEEK
October 28-November 4, 2024
Mixed results again for the Rebels over the weekend with a home-ice win followed by a road loss.
Oct 25 – The Rebels downed the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-2 at the Peavey Mart Centrium for their fourth win in five tries versus their southern rivals this season. Carson Birnie scored the eventual game winner and added an assist. Jhett Larson, Jaxon Fuder (power play) and Ollie Josephson (empty net) also scored. Chase Wutzke made 40 saves.
Oct 26 – The Rebels held a 3-2 lead late in the third period only to see the Lethbridge Hurricanes come back for a 5-3 win at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena. Ollie Josephson (power play), Hunter Mayo (power play) and Jhett Larson (shorthanded) scored for Red Deer.
The Rebels remain tied with Lethbridge for the most points in the Central Division heading into this week’s games. Though only four points separate all five teams in the division.
GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT
Lethbridge Hurricanes 11 7 3 1 0 15 0.682
Red Deer Rebels 13 7 5 1 0 15 0.577
Medicine Hat Tigers 13 7 6 0 0 14 0.538
Calgary Hitmen 12 5 5 2 0 12 0.500
Edmonton Oil Kings 11 5 5 0 1 11 0.500
Upcoming
The Rebels and Hurricanes meet again this Saturday, November 2 at the Peavey Mart Centrium at 7 p.m. Visit reddeerrebels.com for ticketing information. Red Deer is 0-1-1-0 versus Lethbridge this season.
Then next Monday, November 4, the Rebels visit the Calgary Hitmen for a 7 p.m. tilt at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Red Deer is 2-0-0-0 versus Calgary so far this season.
On the Radar
Two Rebels are on NHL Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch List for the 2025 NHL Draft:
Matthew Gard (F, ’07) – B-rating Luke Vlooswyk (D, ’07) – C-rating
A ‘B’ rating indicates a potential 2nd/3rd round draft candidate while a ‘C’ rating indicates a potential 4th/5th round candidate.
Big Night for Bains
Congratulations to former Red Deer Rebels forward Arshdeep Bains who scored his first NHL goal Saturday night for the Vancouver Canucks. Bains joined the Rebels as a listed player in November 2017 and went on to play 257 regular season games with the team, compiling 209 points (sixth-most in team history). His 132 career assists are fifth-most in Rebels history. During his final season with the Rebels in 2021-22 he won the WHL scoring title with 112 points. He signed with the Canucks as a free agent in March 2022 and made his NHL debut with them in February 2024.
Design a Rebels Jersey
There’s still time to win a chance to see your child’s jersey design on the ice! Entries are pouring in for the CHL Jersey Contest! Submit your Rebels jersey design by this Thursday, October 31. Full contest details and template from jerseydesigncontest.chl.ca.
WHL Cup
Alberta downed Manitoba 8-1 to claim gold Sunday afternoon at the WHL Cup at the Peavey Mart Centrium. Saskatchewan won bronze with a 8-5 win over BC.
From the Red Deer Rebels
REBELS THIS WEEK
The Red Deer Rebels are officially underway with their 33rd season in the Western Hockey League!
Opening Night
The effort Saturday night was one the Red Deer Rebels hope to copy throughout their 2024-25 Western Hockey League season. The end result not so much as the Red Deer Advocate Home Opener at the Peavey Mart Centrium saw the Rebels fall 2-1 in overtime to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. Matteo Fabrizi scored Red Deer’s opening goal of the season. The Rebels outshot Lethbridge 31-14 on the night.
Tiger Tales
Next up for the Rebels is three-straight games versus the Medicine Hat Tigers, the top-ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League. The Rebels host the Tigers on Friday, Sept. 27 at the Peavey Mart Centrium before visiting Medicine Hat the following night, Saturday, Sept. 28, for a 7 p.m. tilt at Co-op Place. This weekend marks the first meetings between the Rebels and Tigers since Red Deer eliminated Medicine Hat in five games in round one of last season’s playoffs.
Welcome to The Dub!
Congratulations to Rebels forwards Cohen Poulin and Nolan Schmidt, who each played their first game in the Western Hockey League last Saturday versus Lethbridge.
Camping Season
The Rebels had four players away at NHL camps over the weekend – Chase Wutzke (G, Minnesota), Ollie Josephson (F, Seattle), Kalan Lind (F, Nashville) and Kasper Pikkarainen (F, New Jersey). As of Monday Wutzke, Josephson and Lind have been reassigned back to the Rebels.
Season Tickets
2024 – 25 Season tickets are still on sale! Get access to all 33 remaining regular season home games at the Peavey Mart Centrium, and first dibs for your seats for the 2025 WHL Playoffs. Enjoy discounts on single-game tickets and merch from the Rebels team store. There are also 17, 9 and 4-game packs available. Learn more at reddeerrebels.com or by calling Shaun at 403-341-6000.
WHL Live Packages available for 2024-25
All Dub. All the time. Every dangle, every snipe, every celly – See every heart-stopping moment on WHL Live. With access starting as low as $9.99 (plus taxes), you can enjoy every pretty passing play to every glorious glove save right from the comfort of home. Visit watch.chl.ca for details.
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