Import Draft takes place Wednesday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

One more major event awaits the Saint John Sea Dogs before the junior hockey off-season truly begins.

The Canadian Hockey League will hold its 2025 Import Draft on Wednesday beginning at noon Atlantic time. For the first time, teams will be able to carry three import players, meaning the draft has been expanded to three rounds.

The Sea Dogs are currently scheduled to pick sixth, 67th and 128th. The two later picks could happen earlier in reality as some teams will opt to pass on their selections.

At the QMJHL Entry Draft in early June, Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard said the team plans on using all three of their picks. 

"Oh, we have a plan," Crickard said on the draft floor in Quebec City. "We have a plan. If the plan is executed, we're going to be really happy."

The reason Crickard was away from the team for an extended period late in the season was to ensure the Sea Dogs were ready for the increase in import players permitted on rosters.

The team ended last season with no imports in their lineup.

The Import Draft – as is said every year – is a very strange draft. It's much more about connections and who you know than where you're picking. But even the best plans can have a wrench or two thrown into them. You can only control what other teams do so much.

Like most teams, the Sea Dogs have had some home runs and big misses in the Import Draft. Saint John selected defenseman Florian Schenk with the seventh overall pick last year only to reassign him back to Switzerland halfway through the season. But not that long ago, in 2022, the Sea Dogs had one of their best showings in the draft, selecting forwards Pavel Simek and Eriks Mateiko.

The Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets will pick first overall after acquiring the pick from the Moose Jaw Warriors. The OHL's Brantford Bulldogs will pick second followed by the Victoriaville Tigres.