Giants select Czech player with 21st pick in CHL import draft

Vancouver Giants selected 2006-born Czech centre Adam Titlbach (Litvinov, Czechia) with the 21st overall pick in Wednesday’s (July 5) Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft.

Titlbach played last season for both the U-20 and U-17 junior teams in Plzeň, Czech Republic. He registered 13 goals and seven assists for 20 points in just 12 games for HC Plzeň U-17 and produced 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 34 games for HC Plzeň U-20. Titlbach had a very productive playoffs, scoring 14 goals and adding 14 assists for 28 points in just 14 games for HC Plzeň U-17.

The 5-foot-8, 150 lb. forward also represented his country at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Langley and Delta, where he led Czechia in scoring with seven points (3G-4A) in six games.

“We’re really excited to get Adam in the CHL Import Draft,” Giants General Manager Barclay Parneta said. “He’ll fit in with the Giants identity well with his skill and exciting playmaking ability. We had the opportunity to watch him play in the U17s at the Langley Events Centre and look forward to welcoming him to Vancouver.”

Adam played at the LEC last November for Team Czechia at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge where he registered 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points in just 6 games.

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The Giants held the 21st and 81st overall CHL selections. The order of the draft, which was released in early May, is determined using the reverse of the 2022-23 regular season Canadian Hockey League standings.

Each of the last three CHL import drafts have proven fruitful for Vancouver, with 2020, 2021 and 2022 each producing a player that had a significant impact with the team.

Forward Fabian Lysell, who was selected in 2020 with the 30th pick, set the franchise record for points by a rookie when he tallied 62 (22G-40A) in the 2021-22 season.

In 2021, the Giants selected goaltender Jesper Vikman with the 8th overall pick, who became the team’s starter and played 80 games over two seasons.

The most recent European player to make an impact is Samuel Honzek, who was selected in 2022, 10th overall, and was a first-round selection by the Calgary Flames in last week’s NHL Entry Draft. Honzek’s 56 points last season rank third all-time for Giants rookies.

Other import draft selections that shone brightly for the Giants include Milos Roman (6th overall, 2017) and Marek Tvrdon (13th overall, 2010).

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