(Brandon, MB) -- Belusko was drafted 41st overall in the Canadian Hockey League’s annual import draft.
See the original article by Perry Bergson in the Brandon Sun.
The Brandon Wheat Kings strengthened themselves on the back end Wednesday morning after they grabbed 18-year-old Slovakian defenceman Adam Belusko with the 41st overall scheduled pick in the Canadian Hockey League’s annual import draft.
The five-foot-11, 195-pound Belusko, who is from Kosice, Slovakia, played for his national U18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2022 and 2023 and also skated in this year’s 2024 U18 World Championship.
The left-shooting defenceman had 13 assists in 11 games with Reprezentacia SR U18 this season, and six assists in six games with U20 Kosice.
Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said he’s a player the club has been monitoring for a while.
“He played a real significant role with Slovakia’s U18 team this summer that lost the bronze medal game, so he played in important situations and important minutes for them,” Murray said. “He has a good history with the national team and that experience can help us.”
Russian defenceman Andrei Maliavan, who is entering his overage season, has been waived by the team after two seasons in Brandon and won’t return.
Murray said Belusko brings an array of skills to the ice.
“He can move the puck up the ice,” Murray said. “I don’t know if anything completely jumps off the page but he does everything pretty well and competes hard. He makes good exits, and we feel with our forward group, that getting pucks out of our end is critical and we feel he is a guy who can get the puck up the ice.”
Murray has spoken to his agent, and the indications are that he wants to come to Canada and take the next step in his career. The teenager was thrilled to hear from Murray on Wednesday.
“Just texting the player himself, he’s real excited and looking forward to coming to a new country,” Murray said.
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