Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Import Draft takes place Wednesday

The 2021 CHL Import Draft takes place on Wednesday.

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar will select first overall followed by the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips and the Ontario Hockey League's Barrie Colts.

The full draft order can be found on the CHL website. The selection process begins at noon Atlantic time.

The Saint John Sea Dogs currently hold the 22nd and 82nd overall picks - although both of those selections will likely be made earlier due to teams opting to pass.

The Sea Dogs dressed just one overage player last season - overage forward Vladislav Kotkov. With the San Jose Sharks prospect aging out of junior hockey, Saint John has two open import spots. The team used both of its picks last year, taking highly touted Russian forward Fyodor Svechkov 23rd overall and shutdown Czech defenseman Jan Hampl with the 83rd pick.

Svechkov, projected to be a first-round pick in July's NHL Draft, is a long shot to report to the team. Hampl was unable to make it to Saint John last season due to pandemic travel restrictions.


The Import Draft is arguably the strangest draft in all of sports. An added wrinkle this year is, of course, continued international travel restrictions. Hopefully by fall people are able to move much easier.

No comments:

Post a Comment