ISM client Charlie Kresl has signed with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. The 20-year-old right-shot centre from Denver, Colorado came to Hitmen training camp as a free agent and left it with a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. He wears No. 25 in Calgary and remains committed to UMass Lowell for 2027-28.
Kresl arrives after a 66-point season with the Bismarck Bobcats of the NAHL (18 goals, 48 assists in 51 games), which followed a year with the BCHL's Vernon Vipers. He wasted no time in the WHL: he scored the first goal of the Hitmen's season less than five minutes into the September 18 opener against Red Deer and was named the game's second star. Three games in, he has five points (one goal, four assists) and a point in every game.
The Hitmen are back on the ice October 3 in Lethbridge, then home at the Scotiabank Saddledome on October 4 against Regina. Congratulations to Charlie and his family. We're looking forward to watching him in Calgary this season.
Sources: Calgary Hitmen, WHL, Elite Prospects