Norwin Panocha has been released to make room for Vojtech Vochvest of the Prince George Cougars. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders and Prince George Cougars)

By Nick Nielsen

Raiders move imports

Raiders acquire Vochvest from Prince George, release Panocha

Oct 7, 2024 | 4:16 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders have made a trade with the Prince George Cougars to acquire 2005 born import defenceman Vojtech Vochvest in exchange for an eighth round pick in the 2027 WHL Draft.

Hailing from Mlada Boleslav, Czechia, Vochvest played 67 games with the Kamloops Blazers last season and earned five assists in that time before being acquired by the Prince George Cougars in the offseason. This year, he’s already played in seven games for the Cougars.

Before coming to the WHL, Vochvest played his hockey in the Czechia U20 League where in 2022-23, as a 17-year-old playing 20-year-olds, he score a goal and five assists in 52 games from the blue line. That same year, Vochvest was on the Team Czechia roster at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, a high profile international U18 tournament that is not sanctioned by the IIHF, and finished fourth in the tournament behind Finland.

“Vojtech is a veteran player, and he is a stay at home defensive defenceman,” Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt said. “He will add grit and toughness to our lineup.”

Vochvest will not be in the lineup for the Raiders’ next home game on Wednesday when they take on the Spokane Chiefs, but will join the team on the upcoming B.C. road trip where it’s expected he will be a part of the lineup against his old team, the Prince George Cougars, in his first action as a Raider.

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The pick the Raiders gave up in the trade originally belonged to the Wenatchee Wild.

With the acquisition of Vochvest, the Raiders also released 2005-born import defenceman Norwin Panocha to keep the Raiders at the two import player limit with Vochvest and Lukas Kral on the roster. Panocha was acquired by the Raiders in this year’s WHL Import Draft at 15th overall after he was released. A third import, Krzysztof Macias, still has his rights with the Raiders, but is yet to return from camp with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL.