Erie Otters Select Alex Misiak 32nd Overall in CHL Import Draft

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Erie Otters Select Alex Misiak 32nd Overall in CHL Import Draft

July 2, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - The CHL Import Draft is a fantastic way for teams to bolster their depth and the Erie Otters have had plenty of success with this event in the past.

The newest Otter picked in the CHL Import Draft comes with a familiar last name as the Erie Otters have selected forward Alex Misiak #32 overall.

The Malinovo, Slovakia native is looked at as a strong playmaker who has plenty of experience playing at the pro level in his home country.

Misiak had a solid season last year, split between time in Slovakia and the USHL. Most of his time in his native country came with the first team at HKM Zvolen where in 26 games he collected seven points (5G+2A). He then moved to the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL where in 28 games he picked up 18 points (7G+11A).

The 18-year-old forward has had opportunities to skate wearing the national colors of Slovakia as well, appearing in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the World Under-18 Championships.

The Misiak name is one that should be very familiar to Otters fans as Alex is the brother of former Otter and current Chicago Blackhawks prospect Martin Misiak.

Otters Director of Hockey Operations Scott Grieve spoke with excitement about what Misiak can bring to the organization.

"We have been closely following Alex's development for a couple of years now," Grieve said. "Alex has professional and national team experience, having played pro in Slovakia at 16 and coming into his 17-year-old year prior to coming over to the USHL. Alex is a competitive, energetic, and cerebral forward who can beat opponents both with his skill, and also his tenacity. We are excited to work with Alex on his continued development and we look forward to seeing him in an Otters uniform next season."

Misiak is the seventh Slovakian player ever taken by the Otters in the Import Draft. Other notables being Erik Cernak (#49, 2015) and his brother Martin (#1, 2023).

What's Been Said About Alex Misiak:

"Mišiak's offensive game is mostly connective plays: Get open inside space, catch the puck, and distribute to the nearby open teammate. But he also shows some skills in flashes. He fires off the catch with power, sets up teammates in the slot after pulling the defence toward him, and weaves through traffic with crossovers. " - Elite Prospects

The CHL Import Draft - first implemented in 1992 - provides the opportunity for the Ontario, Quebec, and Western Hockey Leagues to break outside of their region-locked North American scouting waters to find hockey talent abroad. This is the only draft every year that involves all three Major Junior hockey leagues simultaneously and collaboratively, and is the only crossover between leagues outside of the Memorial Cup. As well, this is the final CHL event of the 2024-25 season, with the end of the Import Draft marking the official start of the new season across the league(s). This season, teams are allowed to carry up to three import players, expanding the draft to three rounds from the previous two. This was the first time in franchise history that the Otters held the 32nd pick in the draft.

In the 2024-25 season, the Otters held two players selected in the Import Draft. Slovakian forward Martin Misiak (2023, #1 Overall) and goaltender Noah Erliden (2024, #30 Overall) were immense contributors to the Otters first appearance in the second round of the OHL Playoffs since 2017.

ALL-TIME CHL IMPORT DRAFT SELECTIONS (incl. 2025 pick):

2023 1 1 Martin Misiak 6.02 198 2004-09-30 RW Youngstown Phantoms Slovakian

2007 1 2 Jaroslav Janus 6 187 1989-09-21 G Bratislava Slovan Jr. Slovakian

2012 1 3 Oscar Dansk 6.02.5 187 1995-02-28 G Brynas IF Jr. Swedish

2008 1 4 Edgar Rybakov 6.01 185 1991-05-02 C Moscow HC CSKA-2 Lithuanian

2013 1 5 Andre Burakovsky 6.01 178 1995-02-09 LW Malmo IF Redhawks Swedish

1998 1 5 Nikita Alexeyev 6.06 227 1981-12-27 RW Krylia Sovetov Moskva-2 Russian

2022 1 5 Ondrej Molnar 5.11 161 2005-02-08 LW Nitra HK Slovakian

2019 1 8 Marat Khusnutdinov 5.09 154 2002-07-12 C Podolsk Vityaz U18 Russian

2003 1 12 Ilya Yakolev 6.02 180 1986-07-24 F Chelyabinsk Traktor-2 Russian

2018 1 12 Petr Cajka 6 163 2000-12-11 C Zug EV Jr. Czech

2006 1 12 Stanislav Polodna 6 176 1989-04-03 RW Ceske Budejovice Jr. Czech

1996 1 21 Arvids Rekis 6 216 1979-01-01 RD Dubuque Fighting Saints Latvian

2020 1 22 Alexei Kolosov 6 165 2002-01-04 G Team Belarus U20 Belarusian

2005 1 28 Ivan Maximkin 6.02 183 1988-03-05 LD Togliatti Lada-2 Russian

2000 1 28 Lubor Dibelka 6.03 183 1983-02-22 RW Zlin Jr. Czech

2010 1 29 Timofey Tankeev 6.02 180 1993-02-17 F St. Louis Jr. Blues Russian

2024 1 30 Noah Erliden 5.1 167 2005-09-09 G HV71 Swedish

2011 1 31 Sondre Olden 6.04 180 1992-08-29 LW Modo Jr. Norwegian

2004 1 31 Vladimir Tyufyakov 6.02 195 1987-05-17 LW Novosibirsk Sibir U18 Russian

2025 1 32 Alex Misiak 6 183 2007-06-22 LW Waterloo Black Hawks Slovakian

2021 1 33 Jiri Tichacek 5.09 170 2003-01-30 LD Rytiri Kladno Jr. Czech

2009 1 36 Ramis Sadikov 5.02 220 1991-02-26 G Rus Moskva Russian

2011 1 37 Vladimir Tkachyov 6 182 1993-10-05 C Kazan Irbis Russian

2001 1 46 Alexander Karaulchuk 6.01 187 1983-07-27 C Kiev Sokol Ukranian

2014 1 48 Anton Karlsson 6.01.25 187 1996-08-03 LW Vastra Frolunda HC Jr. Swedish

2015 1 49 Erik Cernak 6.03.5 211 1997-05-28 RD Kosice HC Slovakian

1996 1 50 Vadim Sharapov 5.1 179 1978-01-13 LW CSKA Moskva-2 Russian

2002 1 51 Tomas Galasek 6.02 225 1985-09-09 LW Olomouc Jr. Czech

2016 1 53 German Poddubnyi 5.1 142 1999-06-09 C Philadelphia Jr. Flyers 16U Russian

2001 1 53 Michal Kokavec 6.05 209 1983-03-01 LW Zilina Jr. Slovakian

2017 1 57 Stephane Patry 5.1 161 2000-02-18 LW Geneve-Servette Jr. Swiss

1999 1 59 Ivan Huml 6.02 198 1981-09-06 RW Rytiri Kladno U20 Czech

2012 2 62 Artem Kuleshov 5.11 162 1995-04-20 LD Moscow Krylya Sovetov U17 Russian

2005 2 70 Christian Olsen 6.02 202 1987-10-08 RW Malmo IF Redhawks Jr. Danish

2014 2 71 Igor Vladykovskyi 6.02 200 1995-07-01 F Springfield Jr. Blues American

2009 2 71 Viktor Perezhogin 6.01 190 1992-04-01 LW Omsk Avangard Junior Russian

2015 1 75 Jakob Mayenschein 5.11 167 1997-04-01 C Landshut EV Jr. German

2020 2 82 Artyom Kulakov 6.02 174 2003-02-14 LD St. Petersburg Spartak U17 Russian

2021 2 90 Juraj Slafkovsky 6.03 216 2004-03-30 RW TPS Turku U20 Slovakian

The Erie Otters are thrilled to welcome Alex Misiak home to the Flagship City and are looking forward to having him join the team in the fall.

Keep up with all the Otters draft picks and results on OttersHockey.com or across the Otters' social media. For all results of the 2025 CHL Import Draft, please head to CHL.ca.

For the latest Otters news, visit OttersHockey.com, or follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/erieottershockey), Twitter (@ErieOtters), and Instagram (@ErieOtters).

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