Before he was picked by the Blues in the third round of this year’s draft, there probably wasn’t a ton of people who knew about Ondrej Kos — outside of the in-the-weeds draft experts.
After his selection by ºüÀêÊÓƵ and his development camp, though, perhaps a handful more people are aware of Kos.
Kos, taken at pick No. 81 over the summer, is a Czech-born winger who has played the past two seasons in Finland. Last year, he spent most of the season with KOOVEE in Mestis, which is the second league in Finland. This season, he’s slated to play top-tier Liiga with Ilves.
Kos opened some eyes at development camp in July with his speed, an attribute he used to zoom through the neutral zone, push defenders wide and attack the net. Given more of a structured game instead of the disorganization that occurs in summer development camps, Kos could be an asset on the forecheck.
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“I think my strength is skating and energy on the ice,†Kos said. “For me to improve, I need to get bigger and stronger. ... I have quick legs, but I just need to get more power for skating.â€
Last year, Kos had just three goals and two assists in 14 games with KOOVEE but was also part of the Czech team that finished second at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August in Czechia and Slovakia.
Kos has joined a number of Blues prospects from either Czechia or Slovakia, meaning a group of potential future Blues have brethren with whom to share a language and a culture.
In addition to Kos, there are also Czechs Jakub Stancl, Adam Jiricek and Adam Jecho, plus Slovakians Dalibor Dvorsky and Juraj Pekarcik. Lukas Fischer is American-born and played this summer for Team USA at the World Junior Summer Showcase, but his father, Jiri, was a Czech-born defenseman for the Red Wings.
“It’s pretty cool, and I’m so happy that we can develop together,†Kos said. “It’s super-nice, and it’s fun with everybody here.â€
Kos is also similar to his countrymen in that he does not play his hockey in Czechia. Jecho plays in the WHL, Dvorsky was in the OHL last year and Pekarcik will play in the QMJHL this season. The Blues have said they are trying to have Stancl and Jiricek play junior hockey in Canada this season. Kos plays in Finland for an Ilves club that is familiar with his family.
“My brother went there too,†Kos said. “He’s three years older than me and went there to Ilves too, same team. I knew that I’m coming there too, and I think it was a good move. I was actually living with him there the first year, and he helped me.â€
Jakub Kos is Ondrej’s older brother and was a sixth-round pick by the Panthers in 2021. Jakub began playing in Finland in 2019, three years before Ondrej moved away from Czechia.
Kos could play for Czechia at the World Junior Championship in December and January in Ottawa.
Oilers make move
On Sunday evening, the Oilers acquired forward Vasily Podkolzin from Vancouver in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick. Podkolzin is signed to a two-year contract worth $1 million annually and could be viewed as a potential replacement for Dylan Holloway, whom the Blues signed to an offer sheet last week.
The Oilers have until Tuesday to decide whether to match individual offer sheets for Holloway (two years, $2.29 million cap hit) and defenseman Philip Broberg (two years, $4.58 million cap hit). If Edmonton does not match, that player joins the ºüÀêÊÓƵ organization and the Blues owe the Oilers draft pick compensation.
For Broberg, it would cost the Blues a second-round pick. For Holloway, it would be a third-round pick.
The Podkolzin acquisition also adds $1 million to the ledger for an Edmonton team already above the NHL’s salary cap and needing to move money in order to retain Broberg and/or Holloway.