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OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit set for 2022 CHL Import Draft

June 30, 2022 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Saginaw, MI. - The Saginaw Spirit are slated to pick second overall and have the option to make the 62nd selection in the 2022 CHL Import Draft to take place on Friday, July 1 at 11:00 am ET on the Canadian Hockey League's website, CHL.ca.

Saginaw selected Pavel Mintyukov in the first round, 52nd overall, back in the 2020 CHL Import Draft. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound defenseman out of Moscow, Russia scored 17 goals and 45 assists for 62 points in 67 regular season games, leading the Spirit team in scoring and finishing third in the OHL in scoring among defenseman.

Mintyukov is the top ranked North American Defenseman, according to NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings released in May.

With the 15th overall selection in the 2021 CHL Import Draft, the Spirit added Czech-born Center Matyas Sapovaliv. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound two-way forward tallied 18 goals and 34 assists for 52 points in 68 games in his rookie season for the Spirit. His point output allowed him to finish fourth in the OHL in rookie scoring.

Sapovaliv is ranked 23rd among North American skaters according to NHL Central Scouting, and fifth highest-ranked forward playing in the Ontario Hockey League heading into the 2022 NHL Draft.

This is the first time in team history the Spirit will pick in the top five of the CHL Import Draft. The highest selection the Spirit had ever made came back in 2017 when they selected current Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas, 10th overall.

Notable Saginaw Spirit Import picks over the team's 20-year history include Ilya Solovyov (2019), Ivan Prosvetov (2018), Filip Hronek (2016), Markus Niemelainen (2015), Ivan Telegin (2009), Jan Mursak (2006), and Marek Kvapil (2004).

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from June 30, 2022


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