Kai Uchacz
Canadian ice hockey player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kai Uchacz (born June 24, 2003) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a centre for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL).
| Kai Uchacz | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| Born |
June 24, 2003 Calgary, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 206 lb (93 kg; 14 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team | Vegas Golden Knights | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2024–present | ||
Playing career
Uchacz played youth hockey in Okotoks, Alberta with the Okotoks Oilers U15AAA and U18AAA teams.[1] He would be drafted tenth overall in the 2018 WHL Draft by the Seattle Thunderbirds,[2] and played for Team Alberta at the 2019 Canada Winter Games.[citation needed] After a racist incident where Uchacz and a teammate bullied a black teammate, Uchacz was removed from the Thunderbirds' roster for the 2020–21 season. Uchacz's rights would later be traded to the Red Deer Rebels for a second-round bantam draft choice.[3] After leading the Rebels in scoring in the previous season, Uchacz would be named captain of the Rebels for the 2023–24 season.[4][5]
After attending development camp with the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the summer of 2024,[6] Uchacz began his professional career in signing a one-year contract with Vegas' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, on July 9, 2024.[7][8] In the midst of what would ultimately be a 30 point (15 G, 15 A) in a 68 game rookie season in the 2024–25 season, Uchacz would sign a two-year entry-level contract with the Golden Knights on March 2, 2025.[9] The following season, after an injury to Jonas Røndbjerg, Uchacz was called up to the Golden Knights on February 3, 2026.[10] Uchacz would make his NHL debut the following day against the Vancouver Canucks, playing 11:49 and recording five hits.[11]
Personal life
Bullying incident
After a racist incident where Uchacz and a teammate bullied their lone black teammate, Mekai Sanders, they were removed from the Seattle Thunderbirds roster for the 2020-21 season.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2018–19 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 52 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Spruce Grove Saints | AJHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 52 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 39 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2022–23 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 68 | 50 | 35 | 85 | 75 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 10 | ||
| 2023–24 | Red Deer Rebels | OHL | 68 | 42 | 39 | 81 | 66 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25 | Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 68 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2025–26 | Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 68 | 20 | 31 | 51 | 52 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 2025–26 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||