Wild Select Two in CHL Import Draft Wednesday

Published on July 5, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release

WENATCHEE, Wash. - The Wenatchee Wild are pleased to announce the selection of two players in Wednesday's Canadian Hockey League import draft. The Wild selected 60th in each round of the two-round draft, which includes every team across all three Canadian major junior leagues. Winnipeg did not make any selections in the 2022 Import Draft, as both of their allotted import players returned from the 2021-22 ICE roster.

Wenatchee's selections in Wednesday's Import Draft included:

ROUND 1, PICK 60 - KENTA ISOGAI (F - Nagano, Japan - Youngstown Phantoms, USHL) Kenta is a player who has long been on the radar of junior hockey teams across North America, suiting up for the past three years with the United States Hockey League's Youngstown Phantoms. He was a key member of the first team to bring a Clark Cup to the Mahoning Valley this past May, notching 39 points in 61 USHL games and adding five more points in nine playoff appearances. He's steadily built his resume over those three junior seasons, earning 73 points in 163 career regular-season outings. A former star for the Okanagan Hockey Club in Austria, his older brother Sota is headed into his second professional season in his native Japan.

ROUND 2, PICK 120 - RODZERS BUKARTS (F - Jurmala, Latvia - GCK Lions, Switzerland U20) Rodzers comes to the Wild with a championship of his own in hand, helping the GCK Lions to a Swiss junior title a year ago, cranking out nearly a point per game in 36 contests. He also helped the ZSC program to a Swiss under-17 title in 2020-21, and he's been a regular for Latvia's international teams, earning a couple of points in six games at this past year's World Junior tournament. Both older brothers, Rihards and Roberts, have enjoyed long professional careers in Europe, with Rihards turning a three-year Western Hockey League career with Brandon and Portland into an eight-year run in the pros. He also played for Team Latvia in six World Championship tournaments and earned a spot on Latvia's 2022 Olympic roster. Roberts has played in 10 World Championships for the Latvian national team, and has been on the European pro hockey circuit on a full-time basis since 2010.

Western Hockey League Stories from July 5, 2023

• Silvertips Select Julius Miettinen in CHL Import Draft - Everett Silvertips
• Wild Select Two in CHL Import Draft Wednesday - Wenatchee Wild
• Seven Winterhawks Prospects to Compete at U-16 Provincial Camps - Portland Winterhawks
• Clayton Johns Named to Team Canada Staff for Hlinka Gretzky Cup - Portland Winterhawks
• Mallette Named To Canada's Hlinka Gretzky Cup Staff - Kelowna Rockets
• Hitmen Select Defenceman Axel Hurtig in 2023 CHL Import Draft - Calgary Hitmen
• WHL Clubs Select 28 Players from Nine Nations in 2023 CHL Import Draft - WHL
• Warriors Draft Tomasec and Kral in 2023 CHL Import Draft - Moose Jaw Warriors
• Kamloops Blazers Select Two Defensemen in 2023 CHL Import Draft - Kamloops Blazers
• Tigers Select Latvian Defenceman & Czech Forward During 2023 CHL Import Draft - Medicine Hat Tigers
• Americans Select Czech Center, Goaltender in 2023 CHL Import Draft - Tri-City Americans
• Chiefs Select Forwards Kral, Ekstrom in 2023 CHL Import Draft - Spokane Chiefs
• Broncos Select Petr Pavelec in 2023 CHL Import Draft - Swift Current Broncos
• Pats Make Pair of Selections in 2023 CHL Import Draft - Regina Pats
• Blades Draft 6-Foot-2 Defender Barcik in 2023 CHL Import Draft - Saskatoon Blades
• Giants Select Czech Forward Titlbach in CHL Import Draft - Vancouver Giants
• Wheat Kings Select Dominik Petr 18th Overall at Import Draft - Brandon Wheat Kings
• Rockets Select St. Louis Blues Prospect in CHL Import Draft - Kelowna Rockets
• Hurricanes Select Elias Knoester in Import Draft - Lethbridge Hurricanes
• Rebels Select Czech Forward Drancak at CHL Import Draft - Red Deer Rebels
• Royals Select Casper Haugen Evensen in 2023 CHL Import Draft - Victoria Royals
• Oil Kings Select Adam Jecho at 2023 CHL Import Draft - Edmonton Oil Kings

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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