Kubalik traded for first-round NHL pick, Faksa

The Sudbury Wolves have announced their second big trade of the day today by acquiring 19-year-old forward Radek Faksa from the Kitchener Rangers.

Drafted in the first round of the 2012 NHL draft (13th overall) by the Dallas Stars, Faksa is a native of the Czech Republic and recently participated in the World Junior Championships in Sweden for the Czech U20 team.

“In Radek Faksa, we have acquired one of the premiere two-way forwards in the OHL,” Wolves’ GM Blaine Smith said. “Faksa is a first-round National Hockey League draft for a reason and he has the size and skills that allow him to produce big results.

“Radek plays centre or wing and is an excellent penalty killer as well. Radek is strong on faceoffs and is very effective at net front. We look forward to Radek’s offensive contribution on our power play as well.”

The 6-3”, 210-lb OHL veteran will conclude his OHL career with the Wolves. Faksa has 16 goals and 11 assists for 27 points in 30 games with the Rangers this season.

In return for Faksa, the Wolves traded forward Dominik Kubalik and two second-round draft picks to the Rangers in 2014 and 2016. Kubalik has 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points so far this season. The Czech Republic native was drafted in the 7th round of the NHL draft by the LA Kings in 2013.

With the acquisition of Faksa and Trevor Carrick, Wolves’ management have set the tone for the remainder of the season, Smith said.

“We made a key trade a year ago with the acquisition of Franky Palazzese and Matt Schmalz from the Kitchener Rangers in return for Frankie Corrado and Josh Leivo,” he said. “That trade has set the stage for us to build around the core of veteran players that we have, as well as maintaining a bright future for the Sudbury Wolves with young star players like Schmalz, Kyle Capobianco, Troy Timpano and David Zeppieri, to name a few.”

“We have added two of the best graduating players in the OHL to our team today and we look forward to exciting times for our team, our community and Wolves’ fans the rest of the way.”

The Wolves will showcase their new players to Wolves’ fans tomorrow night when the Wolves host the Mississauga Steelheads at 7:30 at the Sudbury Arena. There are plenty of great seats available at the door and fans can purchase their tickets in advance by calling 705-671-3000.