Americans sign all three 2025 CHL Import Draft selections
July 21, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release
Kennewick, WA - Tri-City Americans general manager Bob Tory today announced the team has signed all three of their selections from the 2025 CHL Import Draft. 2008-born defenseman Jakub Vanecek, 2007-born forward David Krcal and 2007-born forward Tomas Racz have all signed Scholarship and Development Agreements with the team.
"It's exciting to bring three new players into our lineup who should have an immediate impact," said Tory. "All these players bring skill and depth to our roster, and we are excited for them as they pursue their professional hockey dreams."
Vanecek, from Liberec, Czechia, was the Americans first selection of the draft at 25th overall. The 6-foot-2 defenseman split the 2024-25 season between Bili Tygri Liberec's U17 and U20 teams in Czechia, scoring 12 points (1-11-12) in 21 games with the U17 team and four assists in 31 games with the U20 team.
His best performance came when it mattered most as he recorded seven points (3-4-7) in 11 games during the U17 playoffs. He also won a silver medal with Team Czechia at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games, where Czechia was defeated by incoming Americans goaltender Xavier Wendt and Team USA.
Vanecek also represented Czechia at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge last season picking up two assists in four games. He looks to play for Czechia again at the upcoming Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, being held in Brno, Czechia and Trencin, Slovakia from August 11-16.
Krcal was taken 37th overall by the Americans, using the pick they acquired from the Edmonton Oil Kings in exchange for Max Curran. The Praha, Czechia native appeared in 47 games for Dynamo Paradubice's U20 team in 2024-25, recording 43 points (22-21-43). His 43 points were the most by any U-18 skater in Czechia's U20 league. He added another eight points (4-4-8) in 10 playoff games.
He also played six games for Paradubice's second-division professional team, scoring once, and one game for the top-level professional team. He is listed at 6-foot-2, 209 pounds.
Racz, from Nitra, Slovakia, skated in 40 games with HK Nitra's U20 team in 2024-25, posting 43 points (11-32-43) to finish fourth among U-18 players in league scoring. He added six points (2-4-6) in 10 playoff games, winning a bronze medal.
He also played 15 games with HK Levice in Slovakia's second-division professional league, scoring once.
All three players will make their way to Tri-City when training camp begins toward the end of August.
Western Hockey League Stories from July 21, 2025
- Prospect Profile: David Byrne - Tri-City Americans
- T-Birds Name Brett Cameron as Assistant Coach - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Americans sign all three 2025 CHL Import Draft selections - Tri-City Americans
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
