Sunday, June 28, 2020

Where are Saint John's past import picks?

The Saint John Sea Dogs are expected to make two picks in Tuesday's CHL Import Draft.

The Sea Dogs, like most teams, have had mixed results with the Import Draft over the years, selecting some of the franchise's best players and biggest busts.

Here's a look back at Saint John's past picks and where they've ended up in their playing careers (so far).

2005, No. 5 overall - F Marton Bartos
According to Elite Prospects, Bartos, now 32, last played during the 2015-16 season in Sweden's Division 2, recording 17 goals and 28 assists in 28 games.

2005, No. 41 overall - F Felix Schutz
Schutz, 32, split last season in Sweden and Germany, recording a combined seven goals and 10 assists in 33 games. Schutz has played for Germany at a number of World Championships, playing in a total of 47 career games at the prestigious tournament. He also appeared in the 2018 Olympics, recording a goal and two assists in seven games.

2006, No. 4 overall - D David Stich
Stich, 31, has played in his home country of the Czech Republic since the 2010-11 season. In 27 games in the Czech's top league last season, Stich registered a goal and two assists - classic Stich numbers. The gritty d-man has never recorded more points in a single season than he did with Saint John in 2008-09 (27 points in 52 games).

2007, No. 3 overall - G Robert Mayer
The only goaltender ever taken by the Sea Dogs in the CHL Import Draft, the 30-year-old played a few seasons of pro hockey in North America before heading back home to Switzerland 2014-15. Mayer has spent the past six seasons with the Swiss club Genève-Servette HC and, according to Elite Prospects, will join HC Davos this coming season. Mayer posted a solid 2.37 GAA and .914 SV% in 32 games last year.

2009, No. 1 overall - F Stanislav Galiev
After five seasons of pro hockey in North America - which included 26 games with the Washington Capitals - the 28-year-old has spent the past three seasons with the KHL's Ak Bars Kazan. Last season, Galiev recorded 16 goals and 17 assists in 54 games.

2009, No. 4 overall - F Tomas Jurco
The 27-year-old has stayed in North America since his junior career ended in 2012, splitting time between the AHL and NHL. Injuries forced him to play just 12 games with the Edmonton Oilers and eight games with the Bakersfield Condors last season. Jurco has had an eventful post-junior career, appearing in 213 NHL games; playing in 19 World Championship games with Slovakia; winning two Calder Cup championships; and appearing in the 2014 Olympics.

2012, No. 34 overall - D Jurij Repe
The 25-year-old spent last season in a Slovakian league, recording five goals and seven assists in 44 games. He's played in the Czech Republic, Denmark and Slovakia since leaving Saint John in 2014. Repe also appeared in the 2018 Olympics.

2012, No. 52 overall - F Jakub Izacky
Izacky's 2012-13 season in Saint John was the only year he spent in North America. The 26-year-old has spent the past three seasons in the Erste Liga - a league with clubs in Hungary, Romania and Austria. Last season, Izacky recorded 19 goals and 36 assists in 46 games.

2013, No. 9 overall - F Juraj Siska
Siska, 24, has spent most of his post-junior career playing in Slovakia. Last season in the top Slovak league, Siska recorded three goals and three assists in 17 games.

2014, No. 5 overall - D Jakub Zboril
Zboril, 23, has spent the past three seasons with the AHL's Providence Bruins. Zboril recorded three goals and 16 assists in 58 games with the P-Bruins last season. The Czech native has appeared in two NHL games.

2014, No. 65 overall - F Nikita Li
Li, 23, played in just one game with Saint John in 2014-15 before some unexpected circumstances resulted in him being picked up by the Victoriaville Tigres. Li has played in Russia every season following the 2014-15 campaign. Last season he registered 13 goals and 11 assists in 53 games.
2015, No. 65 overall - D Oliver Felixson
According to Elite Prospects, the 22-year-old last played in 2018-19 in Finland. Felixson, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2017, became cancer free in 2018. He did not play in 2017-18.

2015, No. 85 overall - D Frantisek Hrdinka
The 22-year-old never played a game for Saint John. He's spent the past few seasons in the Czech league, recording a goal in 18 games in the top division last year.

2016, No. 42 overall - F Alexander Vdovenko
Vdovenko, 21, never played a game for Saint John - although he did attend training camp in 2016. Elite Prospects has no stats listed for the Russian forward following the 2016-17 season.

2017, No. 53 overall - F Ostap Safin
Safin, 21, may end up being most remembered for the controversial trade to the Halifax Mooseheads. A fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2017, Safin spent last season with the ECHL's Wichita Thunder, recording 16 goals and 19 assists in 54 games.

2017, No. 113 overall - D Radim Salda
Probably the biggest steal in Sea Dogs Import Draft history, Salda was drafted in the seventh-round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 21-year-old spent last season in the Czech league, recording three goals and five assists in 37 games in the top division.

2018, No. 1 overall - F Maxim Cajkovic
The 19-year-old was traded to the Val-d'Or Foreurs earlier this month. Cajkovic has recorded 40 goals and 48 assists in 96 career QMJHL games.

2018, No. 61 overall - F Filip Prikryl
Prikryl spent just one season with the Sea Dogs and returned home to the Czech Republic last year where he played for a number of teams.

2019, No. 6 overall - D Joona Lehmus
Lehmus has been released by the Sea Dogs. The 18-year-old had two goals and eight assists in 55 games with Saint John last year - his only season with the club.

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