The Kitchener Rangers have signed Czech defenceman Tomáš Hamara following his recent signing of a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators.
At the 2022 NHL draft in July, Hamara was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the third round and went 87th overall.
Hamara was picked by Kitchener in the first round, going 26th overall in the 2022 CHL Import Draft on July 1
“Tomáš will be a huge addition to our back end,” said Kitchener Rangers General Manager Mike McKenzie in a media release. “His puck-moving ability and poise with the puck will be a huge asset to our team. We are thankful the Ottawa Senators have put trust in our program to help Tomáš develop on and off the ice so he is ready to make a smooth transition to professional hockey when that time comes.”
The 18-year-old has signed to an OHL Standard Player Agreement and education package with the club, according to the Kitchener Rangers.
He spent his last season in Tampere, Finland playing in both Finland’s premiere junior hockey league and their top men’s professional hockey league.
“It’s a great thing to get to play in Kitchener and I’m so excited to get things going,” said Hamara. “The OHL is a league with a lot of games and everyone that has played there all tell me it’s perfect for development. I’ve heard only positive things about the Rangers, and that they are a top organization that does things the right way.”
On the international level, Hamara played for the Czech Republic men’s national ice hockey team in the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championships earlier this month. He also recorded eight points in six games in the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championships this past April and May in Germany. Hamara was one of just two defencemen to be named to the tournament All-Star Team and earned the ‘Most Assists by a Defenceman’ award.
