Sports stats



WHL Red Deer Rebels

Uchacz Returns to Practice as His Return Date Looms

February 10, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Red Deer Rebels News Release


Red Deer Rebels center Kai Uchacz
Red Deer Rebels center Kai Uchacz
(Red Deer Rebels)

When he went down with a lower body injury Dec. 19, it was estimated that Kai Uchacz would be unavailable to the Red Deer Rebels for roughly two months.

As it now appears, the 18-year-old center is right on schedule, or somewhere in that vicinity.

The De Winton, AB native returned to the ice Thursday for his first practice with his teammates since being injured by a knee-on-knee hit by Calgary Hitmen defenceman Keagan Slaney, who was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct early in the Rebels' 3-2 overtime win that afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

"It will be my first time getting back with the team since being out. It will be good to get back with the group, get my legs under me," Uchacz said prior to Thursday's practice.

Uchacz skated on his own while the Rebels were playing four road games over a recent 10-day stretch and earlier.

"When the team has been gone I've been skating by myself kind of the last couple of weeks . . . trying to get my stride back and keeping my hands in it, working on my shot and conditioning," he said.

"I'm itching to get back. It's been a good process but a little long."

Going through rehab and watching games from high in the Peavey Mart Centrium stands hasn't been necessarily a pleasant process, but it hasn't been all negative for Uchacz, who was acquired from the Seattle Thunderbirds - in return for a 2021 second-round bantam draft pick - in late July of last year.

"It's obviously been frustrating not being able to be on the ice and playing," he said. "But there's been a lot of positives I've been able to take away.

"Just getting to understand the game a little differently, kind of seeing how it flows from up top. I've learned a lot from watching, so it's been good that way.

Uchacz was ranked 95th among North American skaters by Central Scouting in January. The sooner he returns to the ice - and he could be roughly two weeks away - the better it will work for himself, in terms of gaining further exposure to NHL scouts, and the Rebels.

Call it a win-win.

"It's an honour to get put on that (Central Scouting) list," he said. "I'm excited to get back and just keep working and helping the team.

"Hopefully we can make a push for a playoff run."

Once he's green-lighted, Uchacz will be a valuable addition to the Rebels. He has good size (six-foot-one, 190 pounds) and provides offence and physicality.

A first-round pick - 10th overall - of the Thunderbirds in the 2018 WHL bantam draft, Uchacz is also an effective 200-foot player. He has scored nine goals and collected 22 points in 31 games this season and is also an impressive plus-17 in the plus/minus department.

"I thought I had a really good start to the season and was playing well when I got injured," he said. "I'm a two-way player. I like to contribute at both ends of the ice, do what I can do to help the team."

Another possible forthcoming addition to the team is center Ollie Josephson, the Rebels' first-round pick, sixth overall, in December's WHL Prospects Draft.

The Victoria native made his Rebels debut Dec. 16 in a 6-1 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos and didn't look out of place at all.

In fact, the 15-year-old appeared to score late in the contest, but the goal, from a scramble, was eventually credited to Dallon Melin.

Josephson has notched 18 goals and recorded 35 points in 20 games with his hometown major midget South Island Royals. He's second in team scoring, but would almost certainly be leading the points parade if he hadn't missed eight games.

He will be eligible to join the Rebels full time once his midget season is over. That might be sooner than later with the Royals sitting ninth in the 10-team BC Elite U18 League.

Notable: The Rebels host the Edmonton Oil Kings Friday night, 7 p.m. at the Peavey Mart Centrium. The Oil Kings are first in the Central Division, six points clear of Red Deer, and their roster features five members - forwards Dylan Guenther, Jake Neighbours and Justin Sourdif, defenceman Kaiden Guhle and netminder Sebastian Cossa - of the most recent Canadian National Junior Team. Cossa (Detroit, 2021), Guhle (Montreal, 2020), Neighbours (St. Louis, 2020) and Guenther (Arizona, 2021) are NHL first-round picks, while Sourdif was drafted by Florida in the third round in 2020 . . . The Rebels were to host the Oil Kings next Tuesday as well, but the game has been postponed to a later date due to a series of forthcoming scheduling adjustments. Red Deer's next game after hosting the Oil Kings will be exactly one week later (Fri. Feb. 18) against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. The Winnipeg Ice will visit the Peavey Mart Centrium the next night.

Check out the Red Deer Rebels Statistics




Images from this story

Red Deer Rebels center Kai Uchacz
Red Deer Rebels center Kai Uchacz
   



Western Hockey League Stories from February 10, 2022


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.

Other Recent Red Deer Rebels Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central