Hawks Set to Add Two Players During 2024 CHL Import Draft
July 2, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release
Following the WHL Prospects and U.S. Priority Drafts back in May, the Portland Winterhawks are set to once again welcome some new faces to the family during the 2024 CHL Import Draft on Wednesday, July 3 at 8:00 a.m. PT.
The CHL Import Draft is an annual event in which every club in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) can draft players from outside of North America. The two-round CHL Import Draft will take place online with the order of selection rotating between the clubs of each of the CHL's three-member leagues. Each CHL team is permitted to dress a maximum of two import players each season who are selected annually through the CHL Import Draft.
The Winterhawks hold the 57th and 117th overall selections in the upcoming draft and are expected to use both picks. The team still holds the rights to both Marek Alscher and Jan Špunar, but as both players will be 20 years old during the 2024-25 season, the Winterhawks can draft two new import players to their 50-man protected list.
Alscher, a signed prospect of the Florida Panthers, is the latest import player to achieve NHL affiliation in Portland through the draft, joining past standouts like Nino Niederreiter (2009), Oliver Bjorkstrand (2012) and Henri Jokiharju (2016). Going even further back, Hockey Hall of Famer Marian Hossa joined the Hawks during the 1997 Import Draft and went on to help guide the Winterhawks to a Memorial Cup title in 1998.
Stay tuned to Winterhawks.com on Wednesday morning to see who could be the next superstar to call Portland home. Click here to follow the draft live on CHL.ca.
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