Belusko settles in to new adventure

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This article was published 28/09/2024 (484 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Adam Belusko has embraced the spirit of change as he navigates his way through his rookie season with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The 18-year-old defenceman from Kosice, Slovakia arrived in Canada on Sept. 4 and has enjoyed his new adventure so far.

“Everything surprised me when I came here,” Belusko said. “I headed to the dressing room and my slot had all my gear and sticks and everything. I went to my billet home and everyone was nice. The guys were nice. Everything was different but it was good change.”

The stocky five-foot-11, 187-pound Belusko, who is from Kosice, Slovakia, was a healthy scratch due to a rotation on the blue-line as the Wheat Kings beat the Prince Albert Raiders 4-1 on Friday.

His family includes parents Jaroslav and Marianna, and 22-year-old brother, Samuel. His father, who works as a phys-ed teacher, also played the game but later became a coach.

Belusko started figure skating when he was four and moved into hockey shortly after. He was always wanted to be a forward, but his coaches invariably moved him back to the blue-line, and he eventually stayed.

Belusko, which is pronounced BELL-u-sh-ko, played at more elite levels with his hometown HC Kosice beginning in under-16 hockey.

He said the local system — Kosice is pronounced Ko-SHE-ta — was instrumental in his improvement.

“They helped me a lot,” Belusko said. “I started there and they taught me how to skate and play hockey. They gave me an opportunity and gave me good feedback.”

TEAM SLOVAKIA

They also helped to establish him with the Slovakian national team. He played for his national under-18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2022 and 2023 and also skated in this year’s 2024 U18 World Championship.

His first game for Slovakia was at a tournament in Germany in a matchup against Switzerland.

“I was really proud,” Belusko said. “Of course I was nervous, but after the first shift it was good.”

Belusko, whose leadership abilities are demonstrated by the fact he has served as an alternate captain on the national team, said it also helped his game when he began to be exposed to how it was played elsewhere.

“I learned a lot,” Belusko said. “Sweden is different, Canada is different, everything is different. It was really good competition.”

If Belusko’s statistics from last winter seem a little confusing, that’s a product of him playing on the U18 national team in different places, and also with two divisions of Kosice clubs.

The left-shooting defenceman had 13 assists in 11 games with the Slovakian U18 squad last season in U20 games, and a goal and 10 assists in 24 games when the U18s played in the Slovakia2 league. In 13 international games, he had a goal and an assist, he had six assists in six games with U20 Kosice and a goal in his one game with the men’s team.

IMPORT DRAFT

The next step in his hockey path came on July 3 with the Canadian Hockey League’s import draft. Belusko was certainly aware it was happening.

“I was hoping,” Belusko said. “I wanted to play in the CHL.”

As it turned out, Brandon grabbed him with the 41st overall scheduled pick, making him one of nine Slovaks and 30 defenceman taken in a draft that saw 82 players selected overall by WHL, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League teams.

His grandmother, who is a teacher, learned everything she could about Brandon and shared it with him. In addition, he heard from the team, and also his new teammate, Czech forward Dominik Petr, who was quick to reach out.

Czech and Slovak are extremely similar languages with just a few different words, so the two are able to converse easily.

Belusko never hesitated to make the jump to Canada, with his signing officially announced on Aug. 9 but his debut with the Wheat Kings had to wait.

He missed Wheat Kings camp because he and Petr were skating in the under-20 Five Nations Cup, which gives countries a look at some of their prospects who could be selected to play in the world junior championship.

The event took place in Zug, Switzerland from Aug. 27 to 31: Slovakia and Czechia were joined by the host club, plus Sweden and Finland.

Belusko and Petr flew to Toronto after it ended, and happened to be on the same flight to Winnipeg on Sept. 4 as they made their way to Brandon.

“He was here last season and was one of their best players,” Belusko said of Petr. “He is good friends with the guys and helped get me in the team. I really like him.”

While it’s been nice for Belusko to have Petr, the same is true for the latter. Last season, the other import player was Russian defenceman Andrei Maliavan, who in his overage season is now playing professionally with Molot Perm in the second-level Supreme Hockey League.

“To be completely honest, it’s weird,” Petr said. “Last year it was wake up and speak English. To have somebody who speaks my language is pretty helpful. It’s really nice.”

NEW TEAM

Belusko, who speaks good English, seems to go out of his way to interact with his new teammates. He added the entire team has taken him in.

“Every guy has helped me a lot,” Belusko said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, they always ask me how I’m feeling and how it’s going.”

Off the ice, he’s settling in with his billets. For instance, he recently went grocery shopping with his billet mom and they’ve asked him what he likes to eat.

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray also noticed his new defenceman has quickly fit in.

“I think everybody has been really good to him and I think he’s enjoying himself,” Murray said. “He’s a happy-go-lucky kid who always has a smile on his face. Having Dom here too, they speak the same language — from what I understand it’s very similar — so having him here to lean on a little bit really helps.”

Belusko said everyone has warned him about the Canadian winters, even though temperatures can drop to -20 C in Slovakia at night. Petr said with a chuckle that he urged him to bring his parkas.

During Belusko’s first practice with the Wheat Kings on Sept. 5, he had a sense of the challenge that lay ahead when he laid eyes on Giorgos Pantelas.

Pantelas, a big 2008-born defenceman who is in his 16-year-old year, piqued Belusko’s curiosity and gave him a sense of what may lie ahead for Brandon.

“I saw Gio on the ice and thought he was an ‘05 or ‘06,” Belusko said. “I asked him after practice when we talked a little bit and he said ‘I’m an ‘08.’ I think there is a lot of potential.”

The same is true of Belusko, who has been steady in his first two regular season games in North America, with no points or penalty minutes but a plus-minus of +1.

Belusko said the quality of play in the WHL hasn’t been a massive surprise, although he notes it is physical and really fast. On his best nights, he said there a number of things he can contribute.

“I’m calm, my passes are always on the tape,” Belusko said. “If I shoot, maybe I don’t score, but I create chaos in front of the net. When they have the puck and go in on me, I have a good gap and I can read the puck really quickly.”

He’s certainly made a good impression on his new coach.

“We’ve been happy with where he’s at,” Murray said. “Obviously, coming to a different country and playing a different style of hockey is a big transition, so we know it takes some time. We like his head for the game. We have to continue to work on his skating and being quicker in a lot of aspects. I think that would help him out.

“He’s a good kid and feeling his way through right now. Hopefully he can continue to make strides.”

ICINGS: There have been more trades around the league. On Thursday, the Regina Pats acquired 17-year-old forward Connor Bear of nearby Whitewood, Sask., and 19-year-old defenceman Aleskey Chichkin of Vancouver from the Calgary Hitmen for a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a third-round pick in 2026. Also Thursday, the Spokane Chiefs sent 19-year-old goalie Cooper Michaluk of Sherwood Park, Alta., to the Prince George Cougars for a fifth-round pick in 2027. On Friday, the Victoria Royals traded 18-year-old goalie Ryan Tamelin of Invermere, B.C., to the Chiefs for an eighth-round pick in 2025.

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