Hurricanes Select Goaltender, Defenseman in CHL Import Draft
Published on June 28, 2018 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Lethbridge Hurricanes News Release
LETHBRIDGE, AB - The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club selected 2000-born goaltender Akira Schmid and 2001- born defenseman Danila Palivko in the 2018 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.
Schmid, 18, hails from Nesslau, Switzerland. In 2017-2018, he played in 32 games with the Langnau Under-20 Elite Junior-A league in Switzerland where he posted a 2.60 goals against average (GAA). He appeared in four games with the EHC Thun where he posted a 2.21 GAA. The 6'4 ", 194-pound puck-stopper posted a 1.96 GAA and a .930 save percentage in three games at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament last year. Schmid was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round (134th overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
"Schmid is a 2000-born goaltender and we didn't have one in our system, so we were happy to get him and think he fits perfectly into our depth chart," said Hurricanes General Manager Peter Anholt. "We think with Reece Klassen coming back, along with Carl Tetachuk and Bryan Thomson, and Schmid in the fold, we will have some competition during training camp."
Palivko, 16, is a late 2001-born defenseman from Novopolotsk, Belarus. The 6'4 ", 192-defenseman played the 2017-2018 season with Team Belarus' Under-17 team. In 40 games, the rearguard registered 26 points (6g-20a) along with 28 penalty minutes. He also skated in 12 games with Belarus' Under-18 team recording six assists and four penalty minutes.
"We needed to add to our defense-core and we think Palivko has lots of potential," added Anholt.
The Hurricanes can also bring back defenseman Igor Merezhko to training camp due to him being slated to be an overage player. The 'Canes will need to cut down to two import players prior to the start of the regular season.
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