The Prince George Cougars have signed their second pick in this year's import draft.
Jozef Viliam Kmec, 17, put his signature to a Western Hockey League standard player agreement, the Cougars said Thursday.
Kmec, a product of Kosice, Slovakia was the Cougars’ second round selection, 104th overall, in the 2021 Canadian Hockey League import draft of players outside Canada and the United States.
“We really like his size and he’s a right-handed shot and that’s what we were looking to add to our blue-line,” said Cougars’ general manager and head coach Mark Lamb. “We think he will be a good addition to our stable of young defencemen.”
Kmec played last season for the Slovakian under 18 national team and collected four assists in 27 games. The team played in the Slovak third tier professional division.
During the 2019-20 season, the 6’3”, 198-pound defenceman played for HC Kosice Under 18 and amassed 35 points (8g-27a) in 48 games. He also had 32 penalty-minutes.
Kmec was recently one of 29 players named to Slovakia’s preliminary roster for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August. The tournament showcases under 18 players from several countries.
