85 Players Selected in 2021 CHL Import Draft
Published on June 30, 2021 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release
TORONTO - The Canadian Hockey League today announced the final results of the 2021 CHL Import Draft.
The 30th annual import draft saw 85 players selected consisting of 52 forwards, 26 defencemen, and seven goaltenders, representing 16 different countries and including a leading 16 players from Russia.
Following Russia, the most represented countries were the Czech Republic with 15, Belarus with 11, Slovakia with nine, Germany with seven, Switzerland with six, Sweden with five, Finland and Latvia each with four, Austria with two, and Belgium, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Ukraine each with one.
In all, 57 CHL clubs participated in the draft, including all 22 from the Western Hockey League with a total of 32 selections, 18 from the Ontario Hockey League with a total of 27 selections, and 17 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a total of 26 selections.
A total of 28 CHL clubs made two selections, while 29 clubs made one draft choice. The Halifax Mooseheads, Hamilton Bulldogs, and Mississauga Steelheads were the lone clubs to pass on both selections, opting instead to retain both previous import draft choices.
With the first overall selection, the QMJHL's Baie-Comeau Drakkar called upon Latvian defenceman Niks Fenenko, a 16-year-old who recorded five points over 33 games this past season with HS Riga of the top-tier Latvian league. The budding blue-liner also joined Latvia as part of the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship.
At second overall, the WHL's Everett Silvertips selected 18-year-old Finnish right-wing Niko Huuhtanen, a 2021 NHL Draft hopeful who recently competed in 37 games with Tappara of the top-level Finnish junior league in which he finished fourth in team scoring with 34 points and tied for first with 20 goals.
Rounding out the first three selections, the OHL's Barrie Colts chose Ukrainian rearguard Artur Cholach whose past year saw him make four regular season showings with Sokol Kiev of the highest-level Ukrainian league. The 18-year-old also made nine playoff appearances in which he scored twice.
For full results from the 2021 CHL Import Draft, visit chl.ca/draft.
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