The Red Deer Rebels have pulled off a notable trade with the expansion Penticton Vees, sending veteran forward Samuel Drancak to British Columbia in exchange for young defenceman Jiri Kamas. Rebels owner, president, and GM Brent Sutter announced the move, which sees the club acquire a 2008-born blueliner eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft while parting with their 2006-born centreman who’s been a mainstay in the lineup for three seasons. Drancak, a first-round pick (54th overall) in the 2023 CHL Import Draft out of Strakonice, Czechia, racked up 76 points (33 goals, 43 assists) in 160 games with Red Deer. This year alone, the 6-foot, 195-pound pivot posted 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 27 contests, sitting third on the team in scoring and leading in points per game at 0.78. He lit it up in November with an 11-game point streak (9 goals, 6 assists) and even notched goals in eight straight at one point. Fresh off helping Czechia claim silver at the 2026 World Juniors—where he had a goal in four games—and a previous silver at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Drancak heads to a surging Vees squad that’s already making waves in their WHL debut.
On the flip side, the 17-year-old Kamas brings solid international pedigree and upside on the back end. The 6-foot-1, 187-pound right-shot defender, selected 62nd overall in the second round of the 2025 CHL Import Draft, tallied nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 22 games during his rookie WHL campaign with Penticton after splitting last season between U17 and U20 levels at HC Plzeň in Czechia. He’s represented his country at the 2024 World U17 Challenge, 2025 U18 Worlds, and 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup—where he potted three goals in four games—and currently holds a ‘C’ rating from NHL Central Scouting as a potential fourth- or fifth-round pick in 2026. With the Vees leading the B.C. Division, sitting second in the Western Conference on a seven-game win streak, and coming off a sweep of Prince George, adding Drancak’s offence should help their playoff push as they host Kamloops on Friday. Meanwhile, Red Deer—fresh from a 4-0 shutout of Brandon—looks to build momentum with Kamas as they visit Regina that same night. This straight-up swap of Czech imports feels like a classic win-now versus future bet.