Winterhawks Select Sven Bartschi in CHL Import Draft

Published on June 29, 2010 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release

The Canadian Hockey League held its annual Import Draft Tuesday, and with the seventh overall pick the Portland Winterhawks took 17-year-old Swiss left winger Sven Bartschi.

He split last season between the Zug Under-20 team in the Swiss Elite Jr. A League and Langenthal with the Swiss National League. With Zug he registered 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points in just nine games. Upon joining Langenthal he totaled six goals and five assists for 11 points in 37 games, then added three assists in seven playoff games.

Bartschi also has international experience, having played for the Swiss World Under-18 team in both 2009 and 2010. At the 2009 tournament he played with current Winterhawks winger Nino Niederreiter. In both tournaments, he picked up a goal and two assists for three points.

In the 2008-09 season Bartschi played 37 games for the Langenthal Under-20 team as a 16-year-old, and had 21 goals and 32 assists for 53 points in 37 games.

"Sven is a skilled winger with speed who will fit well into our style of play. He has played extremely well both in his Junior league and also internationally," said Portland Winterhawks General Manager Mike Johnston. "Based on our scouting of Sven, and the fact that Nino spoke very highly of him, we feel Sven can come to the WHL and be a very good player for us."

Each team in the CHL is permitted to carry two European Import players each season. These players are selected annually at the Import Draft, with the order of selection rotating through each of the three leagues in the CHL using an inverse order of their final regular season standings from the 2009-10 season. The Winterhawks did not have a second pick in the Import Draft with Niederreiter already on the roster.

The Winterhawks acquired the seventh pick in the Import Draft from the Lethbridge Hurricanes and a Bantam Draft pick in the trade last season that brought Luca Sbisa to Portland. The Winterhawks sent Daniel Johnston, Jacob Berglund and their first round Import Draft pick to the Hurricanes in the deal.

Season tickets for the 2010-11 season are on sale now. Prices start at just $10.50 per game while a limited number of front row glass seats are available at only $23.50 per game. Contact the Winterhawks at 503-236-HAWK or seats@winterhawks.com to secure your seat for all 36 home games.

Western Hockey League Stories from June 29, 2010

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• Raiders Trade CHL Import Pick - Prince Albert Raiders
• Red Deer Rebels Trade CHL Import Draft Selection To Seattle - Red Deer Rebels
• Winterhawks Select Sven Bartschi in CHL Import Draft - Portland Winterhawks
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