Robert Baco: Moose Jaw Warriors’ big catch
MOOSE JAW, Saskatchewan — In the last draft, the Moose Jaw Warriors were lucky to have a big catch. They were able to get an experienced world-class player like Robert Baco to sign for them.
Robert Baco’s experience in playing hockey cuts across his home country of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the International stage, and now North America.
Who will see a talent like that of Robert Baco and ignore it?
Born in Kosice, Slovakia, on Feb. 5, 2003 (he is 18 years old), the right-winger has played hockey on big stages. Weighing 97 kilograms and standing at 6-foot-2, Baco’s body stature and experiences over the years have made him stand out whenever he is playing.
“They led me to him, and I watched a lot of videos on him. He’s a big, tall player who skates well and has a big shot,” said Moose Jaw Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger.
Baco started playing the game of hockey in his home country of Slovakia. He joined the HC Kosice U16 in his hometown in the 2016-17 season. While there, he made 22 appearances in the Slovakia U16 League, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists. In the playoffs that same season, he made 11 appearances, scored one goal, and provided three assists.
He was the fourth player with the highest total points in the League before leaving for the Czech Republic, where he joined HC Zdar nad Sazavou in the Czech U16 League’s 2017-18 season. He scored 24 goals with 15 assists in just 28 games in his first season. No player in the league had more goals than him, and only two players had more assists than him.
Baco was ranked second in the list of players that had the highest total number of points. In addition, he played a game in the U18 League for the same Club and provided an assist during the game.
His 2018-19 season was even better; the net just loved him and always called on him to put in goals. In just 28 games, Baco scored 25 goals and provided 13 assists, surpassing other players in the league in both goals and assists. The player with the next highest goal was Matyas Stanek, with 11 goals. However, Baco’s total points were twice that of Stanek, the next player with the highest total points even though Stanek played four games more than him.
He also played 22 games in the U19, where he assisted twice before being called to play in the Slovakia U16 International Jr. Unfortunately, he didn’t feature in any game.
Notwithstanding, Baco’s 2019-20 season was also remarkable. He joined HC Karlovy Vary U20 in the DHL League, where he played 31 games, scored eight goals and provided 15 assists in the DHL Cup. He also played seven games in the DHL SuperCup, provided two assists, and scored one goal.
Baco had a short spell with the HC Energie Karlovy Vary. He played one game before going back to his home country to represent them in the Slovakia U18 International Jr. While representing his home country, he made nine appearances and scored a goal.
Back in the HC Karlovy Vary U20 in the 2020-21 season of the Czech U20 League, he played only nine games before the season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, he scored two goals and provided four assists in the nine games played. Also, he played a game with HC Energie Karlovy Vary, where he made one assist before moving to SK Kadan on loan.
During his loan spell, he also scored one goal and provided one assist in nine games played. He was one of Slovakia’s representatives at the Slovakia U18 International Jr., and he played six games, earning four points from two assists and two goals before the North American club came calling.
The Moose Jaw Warriors drafted him in the 1st round in the 2021 CHL Import Draft as the 50th overall pick. This move is already looking like one of the best for the Moose Jaw Warriors.
In the preseason games, Baco played for games and scored three goals with one assist. This is a goal contribution for every preseason game played.
So far, he has only played two games in the 2021-22 regular season, but his name is already on the score sheets.
Bringing Robert Baco from the Czech League will undoubtedly turn out to be one of the smartest moves of the Moose Jaw Warriors this season.
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