Bulldogs Add Benak, Dravecky & Karmanov in CHL Import Draft

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OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Bulldogs Add Benak, Dravecky & Karmanov in CHL Import Draft

July 3, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


The Brantford Bulldogs added a trio to the organization through the CHL Import Draft on Wednesday selecting Czechia forward Adam Benak & defenseman Vladimir Dravecky in the first round and Moldovan defenseman Alexander Karmanov in the third round. Benak & Dravecky became the fifth and sixth Czechia products selected by the Bulldogs, following Ondrej Kachyna (2015), Jan Mysak (2019), Adam Jiricek (2023) & Adrien Bartovic (2024) and would become the 7th & 8th Czech imports to play in franchise history, adding Jan Jenik & Tomas Hamara who were acquired by trade. Alexander Karmanov is the first Moldovan selected in the CHL Import Draft and would become the first to play for the Bulldogs and in the OHL. BENAK TO BRANTFORD

Following a June 18th trade with the Peterborough Petes to acquire the 2nd overall selection in the 2025 CHL Import Draft, the Brantford Bulldogs used the pick to make a massive impact selecting Minnesota Wild 2025 NHL Draft selection Adam Benak. From Plzen, Czechia, Benak grew up in the same program with Adam Jiricek and now get reunited after a season apart. Benak dominated the Czech system going back to the 2021-22 season at the U17 level posting 64 points in 34 games, the sublimely skilled forward started the 2022-23 season with Plzen's U17 posting 13 goals & 24 points before being called up to the U20 level, as a 15-year old, where he posted an incredible 31 points in 30 games. In playoffs, Benak racked up an eye-popping 30 points in 14 games for the U17 team, leading the league. In the 2023-24 season, Benak played across 3 teams, starring at the U17 level with 7 points in 2 regular season games & 19 points across 7 playoff games, while posting 29 points in 29 games for the Plzen U20 team and skating in 18 games for Plzen's senior squad as a 16-year old. Benak jumped across the pond for the 2024-25 season skating with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL where again the offensively gifted left shot dominated, leading the Phantoms in scoring with 17 goals & 42 assists for 59 points in 56 games (finishing 7th in the league in points-per-game among players who played in 50+ games).

Even more impressive has been Benak's dominance on the international stage, playing in two U17 World Championships, two U18 World Championships and two Hlinka-Gretzky Cups. At his two U17 World Championships Benak posted 14 points across 14 games and continued to up his game as the lights got brighter. Playing in his two U18 World Championships, Benak combined for 10 points in 9 games, including a dominant 2025 tournament with 2 goals & 5 assists for 7 points across the 4 games he skated in, leading Czechia. Benak's best has been saved for the highest profile at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, posting 2 goals & 8 assists for 10 points in 5 games in the 2023 tournament followed by 4 goals & 7 assists for 11 in 5 games in the 2024 edition, leading Czechia in scoring both times and earning a pair of Silver medals in the process.

After being selected in the 4th round, 102nd overall, by the Minnesota Wild in the 2025 NHL Draft, Benak's next mountain to climb will be the Ontario Hockey League as he looks to continue to show his offensive dominance at the highest level of junior hockey. DRAVECKY NEXT FOR BULLDOGS CZECH BLUELINE

With the Bulldogs second 1st round pick coming at 50th overall, Czechia defenseman Vladimir Dravecky Jr. from Sweden's Rogle BK program saw his name selected. The second generation pro was originally born in Manchester, NH while his father played a pair of professional seasons in North America, with the Manchester Monarchs & Reading Royals, but grew up in Trinec, Czechia. A product of the Ocelari Trinec system originally, Dravecky's father is a 5 time Czech Extraliga & 2 time Slovak Extraliga Champion, and the younger Dravecky has already played on both sides of that border. Skating with Ocelari Trinec's U17 team in 2021-22 & 2022-23, Dravecky moved the near 4 hours across the Czech/Slovak border to play with the Slovak U18 team & HC Kosice, where he skated in 16 games in the Slovak Extraliga in the 2023-24 season. Dravecky moved to Sweden for the 2024-25 season, following in the footsteps of Bulldogs graduate Tomas Hamara (who moved from Czechia to Finland) and joined Rogle BK where he was outstanding at both the U18 & U20 levels. Skating in 42 games across the two leagues Dravecky posted 9 goals & 13 assists for 22 points and added 10 points in 10 playoff games across the two teams.

After representing Slovakia briefly at the U17 & U18 levels, Dravecky now skates for Czechia, having played at both the 2024 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup & 2025 U18 World Championship, with now fellow Bulldog Adam Benak, winning silver at the Hlinka-Gretzky. ALEXANDER KARMANOV HITS THE HEADLINES

The Bulldogs final pick of the 2025 CHL Import Draft has created an incredible amount of buzz, and with good reason. Alexander Karmanov, selected 172nd overall from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights U16 AAA, is not only the first Moldovan to potentially come to the OHL but the largest hockey player on the planet. Standing an incredible 7'0 ‚¬Â³ and tipping the scales at 273lbs, the Penn State University commit defenseman has the potential to be a game changer. From Moldova's capital Chisinau, Karmanov's journey has been a long one for the towering 17-year old, going to Podolsk to play in the Vityaz program, a 25-hour drive from his birthplace in Moldova. Splitting the 2023-24 season between Podolsk's U16 and Pinskiye U17 (an 11 hour drive from Podolsk in Belarus) Karmanov decided to make the jump for the 2024-25 season to the United States where he played amongst his age group with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights posting 15 goals & 18 assists for 33 points in 35 games while compiling over 60 penalty minutes.

Having already drawn headlines around the world for surpassing even Hall of Fame defenseman Zdeno Chara's 6'9 ‚¬Â³ frame, the towering left shot blueliner will look to work his way to wearing black & gold of his own with the Brantford Bulldogs.

The Brantford Bulldogs are extremely proud to welcome Adam, Vladimir & Alexander to the Bulldogs family and look forward to seeing all three have the opportunity to represent the organization and grow into great pro's on and off the ice in the Bell city.

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