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OHL Erie Otters

Molnar Taken by Otters in 2022 CHL Import Draft

July 1, 2022 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - The City of Erie and the Otters organization earned their time in the worldwide spotlight on Friday morning for the Canadian Hockey League's 30th Annual Import Draft, selecting the 5th overall pick in Ondrej Molnar, and passing on the 65th overall pick.

The lone CHL Draft of the year, the Import Draft arrives days after the conclusion of the 2022 Memorial Cup. Much like the name implies, the Import Draft - which started in 1992 - gives teams the opportunity to select any draft-eligible player under the age of 18 who does not fall under the jurisdiction of North America.

In the 2021-22 season, one player selected during Import Draft hit the ice for the Otters: Defenseman Artyom Kulakov (2020, #82 overall), who became a physical-staple of the team's blueline.

The CHL Import Draft would see the Otters come in with two picks, including a top-five pick for the sixth time in team-history. Looking to build upon the success from the previous months Priority Selection and U18 Drafts, Erie would have the 5th overall (third time in team-history) and 65th overall.

5th OVERALL - ONDREJ MOLNAR:

Standing in the same pick spot for the same team as two-time Stanley Cup Champion Andre Burakovsky (2013, #5 overall) sets the tone of expectations for the next-man-in at the Draft Spot.

For 2022 5th overall Ondrej Molnar, it's a spot he fits perfectly. A 5'11, 161 lbs. Forward from Slovakia, Molnar comes in after an impressive season in Slovakia U18 and U20, including representing Team Slovakia in the 2021-22 Hlinka Gretzky Cup - where he and Slovakia won Silver.

A prospect for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Molnar's ability is what most stood out to the Otters in their scouting report. Director of Hockey Operations Scott Grieve spoke highly of the Slovakian.

"Ondrej is the player that we targeted from the beginning of the process. He's dynamic, skilled, and loves having the puck on his stick." said Grieve, "We are thrilled to add a player of Ondrej's caliber to our organization, and we look forward to seeing him in an Otters uniform in September."

RD OV Player Name Pos Height Weight Last Team

1 5 Ondrej Molnar LW 5.11 161 Nitra HK

The Erie Otters come into the 2022-23 season as an experienced, youth-lead team with open opportunity for players ready to make an impact. Especially after the loss of key scorers in the Overage group of Dan D'Amato, Brendan Sellan, and Brendan Hoffmann, there will be chances for the next generation of Otters to step in. With major success historically from players taken in the Import Draft, expectation is high for the newest member of the 2021-22 Draft Class.

With the addition of Molnar from the CHL Import Draft, Erie has selected 20 total players via Drafts this offseason.

ALL-TIME CHL IMPORT DRAFT SELECTIONS (incl. 2022 pick):

2007 1 2 Erie Jaroslav Janus 6.00 187 1989-09-21 G Bratislava Slovan Jr. Slovakian

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2018 1 12 Erie Petr Cajka 6.00 163 2000-12-11 C Zug EV Jr. Czech

2006 1 12 Erie Stanislav Polodna 6.00 176 1989-04-03 RW Ceske Budejovice Jr. Czech

1996 1 21 Erie Arvids Rekis 6.00 216 1979-01-01 RD Dubuque Fighting Saints Latvian

2020 1 22 Erie Alexei Kolosov 6.00 165 2002-01-04 G Team Belarus U20 Belarusian

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2011 1 37 Erie Vladimir Tkachyov 6.00 182 1993-10-05 C Kazan Irbis Russian

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

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

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

1996 1 50 Erie Vadim Sharapov 5.10 179 1978-01-13 LW CSKA Moskva-2 Russian

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

2016 1 53 Erie German Poddubnyi 5.10 142 1999-06-09 C Philadelphia Jr. Flyers 16U Russian

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

2017 1 57 Erie Stephane Patry 5.10 161 2000-02-18 LW Geneve-Servette Jr. Swiss

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Erie Otters are thrilled to welcome Ondrej Molnar to the organization, and look forward to having him stateside soon.

Player Eligibility

Non-North American players under 18-years-old born between 2004 and 2006 are eligible for selection in the two rounds of the 2022 CHL Import Draft. Players from Russia or Belarus are ineligible for selection in the 2022 CHL Import Draft.

Keep up with all the Otters draft picks and results on OttersHockey.com or across the Otters' social media. For all results of the 2022 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).

For further information on the Erie Otters and for media inquiries, please contact Shawn Bednard at shawn.bednard@ottershockey.com.

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