Bulldogs Select Nemec, Calce & Salen Forseberg in Import Draft
OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Bulldogs Select Nemec, Calce & Salen Forseberg in Import Draft

Published on June 30, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


The Brantford Bulldogs made three selections in the 2026 CHL Import Draft on Tuesday, adding of trio of players who bring tremendous potential to Brantford in Adam Nemec, Max Calce & Vilmer Salen Forsberg to follow in a great history for the Bulldogs with Import selections.

Adam Nemec is lucky 13

In the first round of the CHL Import Draft, the Bulldogs used the 13th overall selection, which the club acquired from the Sudbury Wolves on June 16th, to select Adam Nemec from Bílí Tygři Liberec in the Czech Extraliga. The Czech captain at the U17 World Hockey Challenge and soon to be Hlinka-Gretzky has been outstanding coming up through the Czechia junior ranks. The Vsetin product captained his hometown club before moving to Liberec U17 for the 2024-25 season where, as a 15-year old, Nemec scored 26 goals & 30 assists for 56 points in 43 games, posting another 14 points across 12 playoff games. Nemec earned a call-up to the Liberec U20 side where he posted 2 points in his first 2 games at that level. In his 16-year-old season, 2025-26, Nemec began the season at a blistering pace at the U17 level scoring 9 goals & 14 assists for 23 points in just 16 games. Earning the full-time call-up to the U20 level, the 6'1 ‚¬Â³/175 left winger struck for 23 goals in 33 games, adding 11 assists for 34 points. Nemec proved his big game ability returning to the U17 side for the playoffs leading Liberec in goals & points with a 9-7-16 line in just 9 playoff games. Representing Czechia on the international stage, Nemec scored a pair of goals in 4 games at the U17, posting 17 goals & 9 assists for 26 points in 22 games across all international U17 competition.

German Engineering at 57 with Max Calce

With the club's second pick of the opening round, 57th, and seeing some high profile graduations at the center position, the Bulldogs added one of the most talented 2009-born centers in the world in Germany's Max Calce. From Mannheim, Calce has come through the ranks with hometown club at a blistering pace, making the U17 level as a 14-year old in the 2023-24 season where posted 29 goals & 26 assists for 54 points in 34 games, leading his team in every offensive category, which Calce followed up in the playoffs where he again led the team in goals & points with 7 goals & 4 assists for 11 points in 8 games. Calce made another jump as a 15-year old in the 2024-25 season, moving to the U20 level, playing against competition up to 5 years older and still proving a dominant force. Calce collected 22 goals & 28 assists for 50 points in 41 games before leading his team in goals and finishing 2nd in points in the playoffs with an 8-6-14 line across 11 games. The 6'1 ‚¬Â³/185 centerman opened the 2025-26 season at the U20 level striking for 12 goals & collecting 11 assists for 23 points across 17 games which earned him his biggest move yet, debuting for Adler Mannheim as a 16-year old. Calce wouldn't let the opportunity out of his hands, becoming the youngest player to ever score a goal in the DEL, the top hockey league in Germany, posting a pair of goals across 14 games as the youngest player in the league, even getting into a pair of playoff games. Calce returned to the U20 level in the post-season and returned to dominant form, scoring 6 goals & 4 assists for 10 points in 9 games to lead Jungadler Mannheim U20 to DNL U20 Championship. Internationally, Calce who is expected to be the German captain for the 2026 Hlinka-Gretzky Tournament, has already represented Germany in the 2025 Hlinka-Gretzky & a pair of World U18 Championships posting 4 goals & 3 assists for 7 points in 10 games.

The Viking Arrives; Vilmer Salen Forsberg selected at 62

The Bulldogs third and final selection came at 62nd overall, a pick acquired from the Oshawa Generals on June 10th, where the Bulldogs solidified their goaltending corps with towering Södertälje, Sweden product Vilmer Salen Forsberg. Standing 6'6 ‚¬Â³/235 Forsberg will become the first import goaltender for the Bulldogs, the biggest goaltender in Bulldogs history and the first Swedish player to suit up for the club upon his debut. Playing for his hometown Södertälje SK club, Forsberg has excelled in the J18 Region Competition as a 15 & 16-year old with a 2.05/.913 line in 24 games at the level carrying a 17-6-0-0 record. Södertälje SK struggled as a club at the J18 Nationell level though Salen Forsberg continued to provide his club a chance to win over his past two seasons posting a combined 3.40/.894 line but dominated after willing his team into the post-season at the Nationell level with a 2.60/.903 line in 6 playoff games as a double-underage player. The presumptive Swedish starter for the 2026 Hlinka-Gretzky has earned a call-up to the vaunted Swedish U20 league in each of his 15 & 16-year old seasons showing his potential in both stints, going 2-2 with a 2.48/.890 line as a 15-year old in the U20 across 5 games and turning in a gem in his lone start at the U20 level as a 16-year old with a 2.34/.939 line. Salen Forsberg will combine with Maks Corovic to comprise one of the highest potential goaltending tandems in junior hockey.

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