Stars Select Faksa With 1st Round Pick

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Pittsburgh, PA – The Dallas Stars selected center Radek Faksa (RHAD-ehk FOX-uh) with the team’s first-round selection (13th overall) at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft this evening, held at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

Faksa, 18 (born Jan. 9, 1994 in Vitkov, Czech Republic), spent the 2011-12 season with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League, where he led all OHL rookies in goals (29), assists (37), points (66), game-winning goals (6) and plus/minus (+19). He was selected 22nd overall in the 2011 OHL Import Draft by Kitchener.

The 6-3, 202-pound center represented the Czech Republic at the 2012 World Junior Championship, recording two goals in six games to help the Czech Republic finish in fifth place. He also played for the Czech Republic at the 2011 Under-18 World Championships and the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

During the 2011-12 season, Faksa skated in 24 games for HC Trinec’s junior team, collecting nine goals and six assists for 15 points. He also appeared in 28 games for HC Trinec’s under-18 club, earning 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists).

Ranked as the No. 7 North American skater by Central Scouting, Faksa lived in a hotel for five years while playing for Trinec, which is roughly 50 miles southeast of his hometown. His mother is a former figure skater, and taught him to skate at the age of three. His older brother, Martin, was a defenseman, and his uncle, Stanislav Pavelec, played in Czech pro leagues for seven years.