The CHL held its annual import draft today, where teams from across the Canadian junior leagues get to select the rights of players around the world. Often these are recently drafted prospects, or those seen to have a good chance at next year’s draft. Being selected has no guarantee that the player will actually ever suit up for the team, as Filip Chytil proved in 2017. Chytil was selected seventh overall by the North Bay Battalion but ended up spending the year with the New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack after impressing in his first training camp.
There are clear benefits from picking at the top of the draft though, as the Sudbury Wolves found out in 2018-19. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the third-overall selection and ended up winning the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player. Because things in the hockey world were so unclear last season, only 66 players ended up being picked in the 2020 draft. Even selections as high as tenth overall were forfeited. This time around things will be a little different as the CHL prepares for a return to a normal schedule in 2021-22.
Round 1
1. Baie-Comeau – Niks Fenenko (D, Latvia)
2. Everett – Niko Huuhtanen (F, Finland)
3. Barrie – Artur Cholach (D, Ukraine)
4. Cape Breton – Simon Nemec (D, Slovakia)
5. Swift Current – Rayan Bettahar (D, Germany)
6. Sault Ste. Marie – Kirill Kudryavtsev (D, Russia)
7. Sherbrooke – Ivan Zhigalov (G, Belarus)
8. Vancouver – Jesper Vikman (G, Sweden)
9. Kitchener – Filip Mesar (F, Slovakia)
10. Rimouski – Louis Robin (F, Switzerland)
11. Lethbridge – Yegor Klavdiev (F, Belarus)
12. London – Ruslan Gazizov (F, Russia)
13. Moncton – Jonas Taibel (C, Switzerland)
14. Red Deer – Frantisek Formanek (F, Czech Republic)
15. Saginaw – Matyas Sapovaliv (F, Czech Republic)
16. Halifax – PASS
17. Spokane – Timofei Kovgorenya (D, Belarus)
18. Niagara – Rodwin Dionicio (D, Switzerland)
19. Rouyn-Noranda – Jakub Hujer (F, Czech Republic)
20. Saskatoon – Yegor Sidorov (F, Belarus)
21. Hamilton – PASS
22. Saint John – Yan Kuznetsov (D, Russia)
23. Prince George – Liekit Reichle (F, Switzerland)
24. Sarnia – Andrei Malyavin (D, Russia)
25. Gatineau – Haakon Frederik Hanelt (F, Germany)
26. Portland – Marek Alscher (D, Czech Republic)
27. Ottawa – Vinzenz Rohrer (F, Austria)
28. Drummondville – Julien Rod (F, Switzerland)
29. Brandon – Zakhar Polshakov (F, Belarus)
30. North Bay – Aleksander Lukin (D, Russia)
31. Quebec – Vsevolod Komarov (D, Russia)
32. Regina – Joakim Kemell (F, Finland)
33. Erie – Jiri Tichacek (D, Czech Republic)
34. Blainville-Boisbriand – Anri Ravinskis (F, Latvia)
35. Calgary – Maxim Muranov (F, Russia)
36. Mississauga – PASS
37. Victoriaville – Nikita Prishchepov (F, Russia)
38. Kamloops – Roman Makarov (F, Russia)
39. Owen Sound – Servac Petrovsky (F, Czech Republic)
40. Shawinigan – Martins Lavins (F, Latvia)
41. Seattle – Allesandro Segafredo (F, Italy)
42. Flint – Simon Slavicek (F, Czech Republic)
43. Acadie-Bathurst – Ivan Miroshnichenko (F, Russia)
44. Kelowna – Gabriel Szturc (F, Czech Republic)
45. Peterborough – Adrian Klein (D, Germany)
46. Chicoutimi – Andrei Loshko (F, Belarus)
47. Edmonton – Jakub Demek (F, Slovakia)
48. Kingston – Leevi Merilainen (G, Finland)
49. Val-d’Or – Tomas Cibulka (D, Czech Republic)
50. Moose Jaw – Robert Baco (F, Slovakia)
51. Windsor – Avval Baisov (F, Russia)
52. Charlottetown – Oliver Satny (G, Czech Republic)
53. Prince Albert – Tikhon Chayka (G, Belarus)
54. Guelph – Valentin Zhugin (F, Russia)
55. Medicine Hat – Gleb Ivanov (D, Russia)
56. Oshawa – Kevin Niedenz (F, Germany)
57. Tri-City – Petr Moravec (F, Czech Republic)
58. Sudbury – Tomas Trunda (F, Czech Republic)
59. Winnipeg – Martin Bohm (D, Czech Republic)
60. Victoria – Sebastian Wraneschitz (G, Austria)
Round 2
61. Baie-Comeau – PASS
62. Victoria – PASS
63. Sudbury – Kasper Kulonummi (D, Finland)
64. Cape Breton – PASS
65. Winnipeg – Maximilian Streule (D, Switzerland)
66. Oshawa – Nikita Parfianiuk (D, Belarus)
67. Sherbrooke – David Spacek (D, Czech Republic)
68. Tri-City – PASS
69. Guelph – Leo Hafenrichter (D, Belgium)
70. Rimouski – Patrik Hamrla (G, Czech Republic)
71. Medicine Hat – Bogdans Hodass (D, Latvia)
72. Windsor – PASS
73. Moncton – PASS
74. Prince Albert – PASS
75. Kingston – PASS
76. Halifax – PASS
77. Moose Jaw – PASS
78. Peterborough – PASS
79. Rouyn-Noranda – Daniil Bourash (F, Belarus)
80. Edmonton – PASS
81. Flint – PASS
82. Saint John – Evgeny Sapelnikov (F, Belarus)
83. Kelowna – PASS
84. Owen Sound – PASS
85. Gatineau – PASS
86. Seattle – Leon Okonkwo Prada (D, Netherlands)
87. Mississauga – PASS
88. Drummondville – Luka Gomboc (F, Slovenia)
89. Kamloops – PASS
90. Erie – Juraj Slafkovsky (F, Slovakia)
91. Quebec – PASS
92. Calgary – Anton Astachevich (F, Belarus)
93. North Bay – PASS
94. Blainville-Boisbriand – PASS
95. Regina – Alexander Suzdalev (F, Sweden)
96. Ottawa – PASS
97. Victoriaville – Yegor Goryunov (F, Russia)
98. Brandon – PASS
99. Sarnia – Marcus Limpar Lantz (F, Sweden)
100. Shawinigan – Marek Sramaty (F, Slovakia)
101. Portland – PASS
102. Hamilton – PASS
103. Acadie-Bathurst – PASS
104. Prince George – PASS
105. Niagara – Alex Graham (F, England)
106. Chicoutimi – Pavol Stetka (F, Slovakia)
107. Saskatoon – Moritz Elias (F, Germany)
108. Saginaw – PASS
109. Val-d’Or – PASS
110. Spokane – Yannick Proske (F, Germany)
111. London – PASS
112. Charlottetown – Matvey Michkov (F, Russia)
113. Red Deer – PASS
114. Kitchener – Calle Odelius (D, Sweden)
115. Lethbridge – Peter Repcik (F, Slovakia)
116. Sault Ste. Marie – Julian Lutz (F, Germany)
117. Vancouver – PASS
118. Barrie – Oskar Olausson (F, Sweden)
119. Swift Current – Alexei Shanaurin (F, Russia)
120. Everett – PASS