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WHL Vancouver Giants

Giants Select Slovakian Forward Tomik in CHL Import Draft

July 3, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release


Vancouver, B.C. - The Vancouver Giants selected 2007-born forward Tobias Tomik (Ilava, Slovakia) with the 29th overall pick in the 2024 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft on Wednesday morning.

Tomik was one of the youngest players selected in the import draft, still just 16 years old because of a December 18 birthday, making him widely considered a top prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft. He excelled last season for HK Dukla Trencin at the U-20 level, registering seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 10 games, while also suiting up in three games for HK Dukla Trencin at the professional men's level.

Dukla Trencin is the same club former Giants captain Sam Honzek played for before coming over to North America in 2022.

"We were thrilled to be able to select Tobias today at the CHL Import Draft," Giants General Manager Barclay Parneta said. "He is an exciting young player with immense potential who has already shown well competing against older players."

The left-shot centre also represented Slovakia at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Ice Hockey Championships in Finland this past spring, where he helped his country reach the Bronze Medal game thanks to five points in seven games (2G-3A). He was named a top-3 player on his team for the U18's, as selected by the federations.

Tomik also played internationally at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, potting a pair of goals in four games, where he was once again one of the youngest players in the tournament.

Additionally, Tomik compiled 13 points in 12 games for Slovakia's U18 team in various exhibition games. What the Scouts Say Elite Prospects (EP Rinkside)

"A very good finisher who can do a lot of damage from a distance. He's also a sneakily skilled passer, though I wouldn't quite call him a dual-threat scorer. You also don't need to worry about playing him in high-leverage spots because of his relatively mature two-way game." - Marek Novotny previewing the 2024 U18 World Championship Slovakian roster McKeen's (from 2023)

"He is a pure shooter with high end goal scoring potential." - Brock Otten at last summer's Hlinka Gretzky Cup Daily Faceoff (from 2023)

"As one of the youngest players in the [Hlinka Gretzky] tournament, it was nice to see Tomik have such a great game on the top line. He was feisty, moved well, and made some of Slovakia's best plays. At 6 feet, he already has a solid frame. From talking to a few Slovakian scouts, they seem to love his game." - Steven Ellis at last summer's Hlinka Gretzky Cup

The full list of 2024 CHL Import Draft selections can be found.

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