On Wednesday, the Brampton Steelheads organization announced the signing of their first-round pick from the 2025 CHL Import Draft. Slovak forward Matej Stankoven has signed an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.
The name Stankoven has commanded attention in the hockey world since 2019. Scouts raved about an incredibly skilled undersized forward coming out of Western Canada. His name? Logan Stankoven. And yes, his distant cousin is the new Steelheads forward, Matej.
Logan Stankoven had an extremely decorated junior hockey career in the WHL for the Kamloops Blazers and with Canada across several international tournaments. Just go to his EliteProspects page and you will see the plethora of his achievements, such as two gold medals at back-to-back World Junior Championships, and a CHL Player of the Year.
Last season came with its fair share of ups and downs for the speedy, energetic forward. When superstar forward Mikko Rantanen became available via trade, the Dallas Stars pounced on him, but had to part ways with Stankoven in the trade return with the Carolina Hurricanes.
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Although he was born and raised in Canada, Stankoven has distant relatives who have been cheering him on from Slovakia. Michael Langer, an author with NHL.com, wrote an article talking about Matej and Logan’s unique relationship back in May 2024. The two have never met, but Matej connected with Logan via social media several years ago.
Matej Stankoven, 17, recorded 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists) in 29 games for the Slovan Bratislava hockey club in the Slovakia U20 league during the 2024-25 season. In his first year playing in the U20 division, his 28 points were the second-most amongst U17 players, including the two points he registered with the U18 Slovakia Team.
“We are super excited that our first round pick in this year’s import draft is on his way to Brampton. Matej is a strong two-way center that we believe will be a key piece to the Steelheads' success for the next couple of years,” said Brampton Steelheads Head Coach and GM James Richmond.
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During the 2023-24 season, Stankoven led the Slovakia U18 league in scoring (79 points, 36 goals, 43 assists in 44 games) as a 15-year-old, who turned 16 near the end of the year. He led his U18 Slovan Bratislava club to a championship, putting his name out there as one of the most exciting young prospects coming out of Slovakia.
The Bratislav, Slovakia, native captained Team Slovakia at the 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) to a silver medal finish, recording five points (1 goal, 4 assists) in four games.
Stankoven has been named to Slovakia’s 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup roster, set to begin Monday, Aug. 11, where he aims to make a strong impression on NHL scouts to begin his NHL draft season. I’m sure he and his family are hoping that he will hear his name called by the Hurricanes organization next summer.
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