Sea Dogs select two Czechs in Import Draft

The Saint John Sea Dogs went big with their first round pick in the CHL Import Draft on Wednesday, selecting 6'5", 191 lbs forward Ostap Safin.

The 18-year-old from the Czech Republic was drafted in the fourth round by the Edmonton Oilers in last weekend's NHL Draft.

Safin has spent his entire career in the Czech Republic, which includes stints with the under-18 and under-17 national teams. He's produced some good offensive numbers over the past couple years, but nothing mind blowing.

Here's a look at his numbers from 2016-17, from Elite Prospects (click to enlarge).

Although Safin was a fourth-round pick of the Oilers, most publications had him going higher. He was ranked 98th by HockeyProspect.com, 53rd by ISS Hockey, 40th by Future Considerations, 66th by McKeen's Hockey and 51st by TSN's Bob McKenzie.

Ostap Safin to SNB, big and talented Czech forward. If he had more consistency he would had gone way higher than 115th in the NHL draft

— Jérôme Bérubé (@Jerome_Berube) June 28, 2017

#CHLImportDraft
Really like the Saint John pick of Ostap Safin (#Oilers). Felt he was worthy of higher selection than 4th round

— Brendan Ross (@RossyYoungblood) June 28, 2017

Saint John selects Edmonton Oilers pick Ostap Safin, had said he wants to play in NA. Was my 31st ranked prospect in 2017

— Brayden Sullivan (@SullyDraftGeek) June 28, 2017

The Sea Dogs also used their second round pick on Wednesday, picking Czech defenceman Radim Salda.

CHL Import Draft takes place Wednesday

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SAINT JOHN - The CHL Import Draft, arguably the strangest draft in sports, takes place on Wednesday.

While the Saint John Sea Dogs are not in prime picking location - they own the 53rd and 113th overall picks - it often doesn't matter a whole lot with many picks prearranged. Saint John's picks will come sooner than where they are currently placed because several teams will pass on their picks.

The Sea Dogs plan on using both of their selections in Wednesday's draft, which begins at noon Atlantic time. Defenceman Jakub Zboril is likely to graduate to the professional ranks for this coming season while the status of defenceman Oliver Felixson for 2017-18 is certainly unclear at this point. There's definitely a chance both of Saint John's import spots will be open.

The Sea Dogs haven't had great luck with the Import Draft in recent years with Zboril, who Saint John drafted fifth overall in 2014, turning into the best player. All-time, Saint John has struggled to find impact players when they aren't among the top teams selecting.

Here's who the Sea Dogs have selected in the Import Draft in past years:

NHL Draft Notes: Off year for the QMJHL

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As most of you have probably heard, it was not a great 2017 NHL Draft for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Just 14 players were chosen overall with only five of those picks coming in the first two rounds. Only 14 QMJHL players were picked in the 2016 NHL Draft as well, which was a sharp decline from the 30 taken in 2015.

As you can see from the numbers tweeted out by RDS' Stephane Leroux, the QMJHL has become hot and cold in recent years, either having having a very good year or very poor. The 2017 Draft could be another bounce back year for the league, so that's good.

Here's the full list of QMJHL players chosen:

1. Nico Hischier (Halifax Mooseheads) – New Jersey Devils
23. Pierre-Olivier Joseph (Charlottetown Islanders) – Arizona Coyotes
50. Maxime Comtois (Victoriaville Tigres) – Anaheim Ducks
51. Zachary Lauzon (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies) – Pittsburgh Penguins
60. Antoine Morand (Acadie-Bathurst Titan) – Anaheim Ducks
121. Drake Batherson (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) – Ottawa Senators
130. David Noel (Val-d’Or Foreurs) – St. Louis Blues
136. Leon Gawanke (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) – Winnipeg Jets
165. Arnaud Durandeau (Halifax Mooseheads) – New York Islanders
171. D’Artagnan Joly (Baie-Comeau Drakkar) – Calgary Flames
173. Cedric Pare (Saint John Sea Dogs) – Boston Bruins
176. Pavel Koltygin (Drummondville Voltigeurs) – Nashville Predators
191. Jocktan Chainey (Halifax Mooseheads) – New Jersey Devils
212. Ivan Chekhovich (Baie-Comeau Drakkar) – San Jose Sharks

Something else was noticeable this year:

The biggest shock of the 2017 Draft in my book -- only 8 of the 217 players drafted were Quebec kids out of the QMJHL.

— Steve Kournianos (@TheDraftAnalyst) June 25, 2017

This also marked the second straight year the Montreal Canadiens did not choose any Quebec-born players, which is - rightly or wrongly - something a lot of people care about.

Bruins fans: Pare looks familiar

The second Cedric Pare was drafted by the Boston Bruins on Saturday, the tweets started pouring in.

oh my gosh he looks like he could be Bergeron's son https://t.co/hhgySHXimV

— Ian McLaren (@iancmclaren) June 24, 2017

Are we sure this isn't Patrice Bergeron https://t.co/IuGuhwxuhP

— Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) June 24, 2017

The resemblance is really something.

Both are forwards, both play/played for Maritime QMJHL teams, both are from the Quebec City area and both were drafted by the Bruins.

D'Orio invited to Penguins camp

After being passed over in this year's NHL Draft, Saint John Sea Dogs goaltender Alex D'Orio has received an invitation to attend the Stanley Cup champion's camp.

From TVA Sports' Mikael Lalancette:

Les Penguins ont invité le meilleur espoir chez les gardiens espoirs de la LHJMQ : Alex D'Orio #SeaDogs. N'a pas eu beaucoup de visibilité.

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) June 24, 2017

As Lalancette notes, D'Orio was likely the victim of limited playing time and exposure, appearing in just 28 regular season games in 2016-17 - his first QMJHL campaign. D'Orio posted strong numbers in the games in appeared in though, going 19-4 with a 2.40 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.

D'Orio didn't see action in any playoff games but did appear in Saint John's blowout loss to the Erie Otters at the Memorial Cup.

A Sherbrooke native, D'Orio was selected ninth overall by the Sea Dogs in the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft. The team opted to keep him in the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League for the 2015-16 season.

Pare drafted by Bruins

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Cedric Pare was the lone Saint John Sea Dog to be selected in the 2017 NHL Draft.

Pare had to wait until the sixth round to hear his name called by the Boston Bruins, who selected him with the 173rd overall selection.

"It was awesome," Pare told media. "My family was there. My Mom, my brother, my grandparents. I was surprised a little bit, yeah. It's nice. I don't have words, I'm just excited."

Cedric Pare, picked by BOS at No. 173, is here, his family went nuts when he was picked. Still shaking hands, hugging each other. Very cool.

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) June 24, 2017

This kid Cedric Pare just got picked in the NHL draft by the Boston Bruins. That's a dream come true for him. We need perspective sometimes.

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) June 24, 2017

Pare was on the bubble to picked in the draft. He was ranked 146th amongst North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, 176th by ISS Hockey and 202nd by HockeyProspect.com.

The 18-year-old played in his first QMJHL season this past year, recording five goals and 11 assists in 64 regular season contests. He added a goal and two assists in 18 playoff games. He also had some strong showings at the Memorial Cup, registering a couple goals in four games.

Pare was a first-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft, but the team opted to keep him in midget AAA for most of the 2015-16 season.

With Pare getting drafted, the Sea Dogs have had at least one player picked in each of the past four NHL drafts.

Goaltender Alex D'Orio was the only other Sea Dogs player on the draft radar but was not selected. He will no doubt be invited to a development camp, though.