Golden Knights Development Camp Day 1 Spotlight: Jakob Ihs-Wozniak

The Vegas Golden Knights have a lot of young talent at this year's development camp, with another standout being this year's second-round draft pick, Jakob Ihs-Wozniak.  

It’s been a crazy few days for the right-winger. Drafted one moment, on a plane to Vegas the next, and now he’s diving into his first development camp in a city he’s never been to before. Ihs-Wozniak touched on his thoughts and emotions from draft day.

“Super happy,” Ihs-Wozniak expressed. “I mean, it was a relief, like this is, that's the day you've been waiting for. When they traded up and picked me, it was super fun. I landed in a super great spot.” 

The second-round pick is coming off a season of growth after a rocky showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he admitted his performance “wasn’t good enough.” According to Golden Knights’ assistant director of player personnel Bob Lowes, that tournament became a turning point. 

“He even said the more I engage, the better I play,” Lowes noted. “The skill is all there, the size, the ability. He just needed to add that edge to his game. I think with our development, physical development, I think we can get him to be a good-sized power element with his game, as well as the offensive skill.”

The motivation is there for him, and he’s using this time on the ice to channel it. With the draft behind him and a clear path ahead, Ihs-Wozniak has the opportunity to turn potential into performance. 

“It's super fun that they traded up to me, that's super fun,” Ihs-Wozniak said, “But of course, it's just after the draft. It's just to keep working and when you get drafted, it's just the start. So you just have to keep going.”

Ihs-Wozniak’s improvement over the year has put him firmly in the conversation for Sweden’s U20 World Junior roster, and the Knights are excited to be a part of his development.

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