Czechia's Jakub Brabenec, who plays for the QMJHL's Charlottetown Islanders, is a 2021 fourth-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights.
photo: Andrea Cardin / HHOF-IIHF Images
Jakub Brabenec is a busy young man. He moved to Charlottetown to play hockey, not become a restaurant critic. So the talented 18-year-old Czech forward readily confesses that while he has enjoyed Prince Edward Island’s famous potatoes, he hasn’t sampled lobster in the provincial capital.
“I don’t have so much time because I’m always playing hockey and we have so many practices,” said Brabenec, a QMJHL rookie with the Charlottetown Islanders. “And when we go to Quebec, it’s like 20 hours in the bus. So not yet!”
More importantly, the Brno native has used his successful season as a springboard to representing Czechia at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton. He’s fifth in Islanders scoring with 11 goals and 21 assists in 32 games and Charlottetown tops the QMJHL standings.
“It was always my dream to play in another country, not just in Czechia,” Brabenec said. “I wanted to try some new things, and I think Charlottetown is one of the best organizations in the Q. So I am living my dream now!”
The 2021 fourth-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights (102nd overall) hopes some of his recent positive momentum can carry over to his national team as Czechia aspires to win a World Junior quarter-final for the first time since 2018 (4-3 over Finland in a shootout) and a medal for the first time since 2005’s bronze (3-2 over the U.S. in overtime).
Medalling again would be a dream come true for the nation that set the all-time IIHF World Championship tournament attendance record (741,690) when Prague and Ostrava co-hosted in 2015.
At the 2022 World Juniors, Brabenec is enjoying his reunion with his Czech buddies, including his best friend in hockey, defenceman Stanislav Svozil. They played together with HC Kometa Brno before Svozil jumped to the WHL’s Regina Pats to join forces with 16-year-old Canadian phenom Connor Bedard, who took over the World Junior goal-scoring lead with four goals against Austria.
Last season, Brabenec had one assist in 23 games with HC Kometa Brno. He travelled to the U18 Worlds in Texas, where he had four helpers as Czechia finished in seventh place. Here in Edmonton, he earned a slick assist on Michal Gut’s video-reviewed opening goal in the 6-3 opening loss to Canada.
Yet even though it was fun to go head-to-head with Canadian defenceman Lukas Cormier, whom Brabenec describes as “one of my best friends in Charlottetown,” he isn’t content with the results. Especially after falling 2-1 in overtime to Germany on Monday.
“Everything can be better. I always can play better. Look, I love it when I have the puck, but we don’t have a win right now. We need to play better as a team and win the other matches.”
Brabenec, who looks up to Brno-trained NHLers like Pavel Zacha and Martin Necas, grew up playing centre, but is also a capable winger. However, the 187-cm, 80-kg forward says he’s happy to play wherever head coach Karel Mlejnek puts him.
“I don’t care,” Brabenec said. “It’s the national team. If I play defence, man, I play defence. I really appreciate being here, so I don’t care.”
Like captain Jan Mysak, he’s constantly talking hockey and analyzing hockey games, even when they’re away from the rink. And why not? There’s no sport like it. However, he does have a couple of other favourite sports as well.
“I like soccer and basketball. In my family, my grandpa played basketball and he was really good. My sister plays basketball as well.”
Brabenec got one step closer to achieving his childhood NHL dream when he attended Vegas’s rookie camp at City National Arena in September, along with the likes of Cormier, Peyton Krebs, and Daniil Chayka. He also suited up in the subsequent Rookie Faceoff Tournament in Arizona versus NHL prospects from the Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks.
“It was a great experience,” Brabanec said. “I saw guys like Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty and met a lot of new people. It’s a really good organization and I really enjoyed the moment.”
On Wednesday, the moment is all about trying to get three points in the Group A standings versus a tough Finnish team that earned the bronze medal in 2021. So this Czech kid, who likes to relax with Netflix shows like Money Heist and Vikings, will focus on that game first. Not on the lobsters he might carve up like a Viking if he inks an entry-level deal with the Golden Knights.
“I don’t have so much time because I’m always playing hockey and we have so many practices,” said Brabenec, a QMJHL rookie with the Charlottetown Islanders. “And when we go to Quebec, it’s like 20 hours in the bus. So not yet!”
More importantly, the Brno native has used his successful season as a springboard to representing Czechia at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton. He’s fifth in Islanders scoring with 11 goals and 21 assists in 32 games and Charlottetown tops the QMJHL standings.
“It was always my dream to play in another country, not just in Czechia,” Brabenec said. “I wanted to try some new things, and I think Charlottetown is one of the best organizations in the Q. So I am living my dream now!”
The 2021 fourth-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights (102nd overall) hopes some of his recent positive momentum can carry over to his national team as Czechia aspires to win a World Junior quarter-final for the first time since 2018 (4-3 over Finland in a shootout) and a medal for the first time since 2005’s bronze (3-2 over the U.S. in overtime).
Medalling again would be a dream come true for the nation that set the all-time IIHF World Championship tournament attendance record (741,690) when Prague and Ostrava co-hosted in 2015.
At the 2022 World Juniors, Brabenec is enjoying his reunion with his Czech buddies, including his best friend in hockey, defenceman Stanislav Svozil. They played together with HC Kometa Brno before Svozil jumped to the WHL’s Regina Pats to join forces with 16-year-old Canadian phenom Connor Bedard, who took over the World Junior goal-scoring lead with four goals against Austria.
Last season, Brabenec had one assist in 23 games with HC Kometa Brno. He travelled to the U18 Worlds in Texas, where he had four helpers as Czechia finished in seventh place. Here in Edmonton, he earned a slick assist on Michal Gut’s video-reviewed opening goal in the 6-3 opening loss to Canada.
Yet even though it was fun to go head-to-head with Canadian defenceman Lukas Cormier, whom Brabenec describes as “one of my best friends in Charlottetown,” he isn’t content with the results. Especially after falling 2-1 in overtime to Germany on Monday.
“Everything can be better. I always can play better. Look, I love it when I have the puck, but we don’t have a win right now. We need to play better as a team and win the other matches.”
Brabenec, who looks up to Brno-trained NHLers like Pavel Zacha and Martin Necas, grew up playing centre, but is also a capable winger. However, the 187-cm, 80-kg forward says he’s happy to play wherever head coach Karel Mlejnek puts him.
“I don’t care,” Brabenec said. “It’s the national team. If I play defence, man, I play defence. I really appreciate being here, so I don’t care.”
Like captain Jan Mysak, he’s constantly talking hockey and analyzing hockey games, even when they’re away from the rink. And why not? There’s no sport like it. However, he does have a couple of other favourite sports as well.
“I like soccer and basketball. In my family, my grandpa played basketball and he was really good. My sister plays basketball as well.”
Brabenec got one step closer to achieving his childhood NHL dream when he attended Vegas’s rookie camp at City National Arena in September, along with the likes of Cormier, Peyton Krebs, and Daniil Chayka. He also suited up in the subsequent Rookie Faceoff Tournament in Arizona versus NHL prospects from the Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks.
“It was a great experience,” Brabanec said. “I saw guys like Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty and met a lot of new people. It’s a really good organization and I really enjoyed the moment.”
On Wednesday, the moment is all about trying to get three points in the Group A standings versus a tough Finnish team that earned the bronze medal in 2021. So this Czech kid, who likes to relax with Netflix shows like Money Heist and Vikings, will focus on that game first. Not on the lobsters he might carve up like a Viking if he inks an entry-level deal with the Golden Knights.