The Kamloops Blazers have swung a deal to fill the club’s second import position.

GM Shaun Clouston announced today that the Blazers have acquired 19-year-old defenseman Marko Stacha from the Vancouver Giants in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2023 WHL bantam draft.

“Marko is a solid two-way defenseman with experience in our league,” said Clouston. “We were able to watch him a lot last season and really liked his game.”

The 6’1”, 196 lbs Slovakian played 22 games for the Giants during the shortened spring season and registered a goal and five assists.

He joins fellow defenseman Viktor Persson, a seventh-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, as an import player on the Blazers’ roster.

“With an open import spot, we thought this was a great opportunity to improve our team,” added Clouston.

Stacha will join the Blazers in time for the team’s first regular season game against the Prince George Cougars on Saturday.