2024 CHL Import Draft Recap
July 3, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release
Medicine Hat, AB - They say good things come in pairs, and that couldn't be more true for the Medicine Hat Tigers during the 2024 CHL Import Draft. The Tigers selected two players from Finland, both selections from the 2024 NHL Draft this past weekend.
With the 47th overall pick, the Tigers chose Niilopekka Muhonen, a left-handed stay-at-home defender from Kuopio, Finland. Muhonen is the third Finnish player ever selected by the Tigers in the CHL Import Draft. During the 2023-24 season, Niilopekka suited up for the KalPa Kuopio U20 team, collecting 4 goals and 7 assists in 27 games. The performance earned him a call-up to JoKP in Mestis, Finland's second-highest professional hockey league, where he recorded 3 assists in 12 games. Earlier this week, the Dallas Stars selected Muhonen 158th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.
"Muhonen is a large man," said Bobby Fox, Tigers Director of Player Personnel. "He utilizes his wing span to defend and has strong exits with clean passes."
Continuing the trend, the Tigers selected mobile two-way defenseman Veeti Väisänen with the 107th overall pick. The native of Hamina, Finland, spent the 2023-24 season with KooKoo Kouvola in Liiga, Finland's top professional hockey league, where he notched 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) in 50 games. The Utah Hockey Club took Väisänen 96th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.
"Väisänen is a mobile dman that can play heavy minutes," said Fox. "He has a presence on the ice and brings a lot of grit."
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Western Hockey League Stories from July 3, 2024
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