82 players selected during the 2024 CHL Import Draft

Led by the first overall selection of Russian right winger Matvei Gridin by the Val-d’Or Foreurs, 18 of this year’s selections at the 2024 CHL Import Draft were among the many chosen at last week’s 2024 NHL Draft

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to share the results of today’s 2024 CHL Import Draft. During the 33rd annual edition of this event, 82 players were selected, including 45 forwards, 30 defencemen, and seven goaltenders representing 12 countries – including a high of 23 players from Czechia. Right behind Czechia was Finland, which had 15 players drafted by CHL clubs, representing the largest number of Finnish players ever selected in a single CHL Import Draft since the event first began in 1992.

Holding the first overall selection for the first time in 24 years, the Val-d’Or Foreurs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) drafted Russian right winger Matvei Gridin. The 18-year-old from Kurgan, Russia, was taken by the Calgary Flames with the No. 28 pick of the first round at the 2024 NHL Draft less than a week ago. Gridin registered 83 points (38G-45A) in 60 games in the USHL last season. He led the USHL in points during the 2023-24 regular season and ranked fourth with 38 goals. 

After Val-d’Or, selecting second overall for the first time in franchise history, the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) took 16-year-old Czech forward Vit Zahejsky. The 2025 NHL Draft prospect has played for the HC Energie Karlovy Vary program for the past three seasons. During the 2022-23 campaign, the centreman from Plzen, Czechia, finished tied for first in league scoring as a 15-year-old in the Czechia U17 league with 67 points (27G-40A in 36 GP). Last season, Zahejsky tallied 39 points (19G-20A) in 42 games in Czechia’s U20 league. He also suited up for Czechia at the 2023 World U17 Hockey Challenge (1G-3A in 8 GP) and is expected to represent his country at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton from August 5-10.

Rounding out the top three was the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who drafted left winger Ilya Protas from Belarus. The 6-foot-4, 198-pound forward put together an impressive season with the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL, recording 51 points (14G-37A) in 61 games. The 17-year-old from Vitebsk, Belarus, was recently drafted in the third round (at No. 75) by the Washington Capitals at the 2024 NHL Draft. Ilya is the younger brother of fellow Capitals forward and WHL alumnus Aliaksei Protas, who was a third-round pick by Washington in 2019. Ilya’s brother, Aliaksei, played a couple of seasons in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders, registering 120 points (42G-78A) in 119 career games.

Led by the first overall selection of Gridin by the Foreurs, 18 of this year’s picks at the 2024 CHL Import Draft were among the 225 players chosen at last week’s 2024 NHL Draft (see complete list below). There were also more than two dozen prospects eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft taken during the 2024 CHL Import Draft, including Slovakian defenceman Luka Radivojevic (Charlottetown Islanders / QMJHL), Swedish forward Filip Ekberg (Ottawa 67’s / OHL), and Czech defenceman Radim Mrtka (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL). 

A total of 56 CHL clubs made a selection during Wednesday’s draft, led by 20 WHL teams who collectively had 26 picks. They were followed by 19 OHL clubs who together selected 28 players, while 17 QMJHL teams also drafted 28 players. Specifically, 26 CHL clubs made two selections, while 30 other teams selected one player. The Everett Silvertips (WHL), Tri-City Americans (WHL), Kingston Frontenacs (OHL), and Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL) passed on both of their selections, opting instead to retain both of their previous import draft choices.

The CHL Import Draft is an annual event in which every club in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) can draft players from outside of North America. The two-round CHL Import Draft took place online with the order of selection rotating between the clubs of each of the CHL’s three-member leagues (WHL, OHL & QMJHL). Each CHL team is permitted to dress a maximum of two import players each season who are selected annually through the CHL Import Draft. All non-overage, import players that were previously drafted in the CHL Import Draft but were deleted by a CHL member team before the 2024 cut-down date were eligible to be re-drafted by another CHL club in the 2024 CHL Import Draft. 

Over the years, the CHL Import Draft has seen countless players selected by CHL clubs at this event go on to have successful careers in the CHL’s three-member leagues before later hearing their names called at the NHL Draft. Just last week, at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, Nevada, 10 CHL players who came through the CHL Import Draft were selected by NHL clubs: Julius Miettinen (Everett Silvertips, WHL / Seattle Kraken), Ondrej Becher (Prince George Cougars, WHL / Detroit Red Wings), Eriks Mateiko (Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL / Washington Capitals), Adam Jecho (Edmonton Oil Kings, WHL / St. Louis Blues), Jakub Milota (Cape Breton Eagles, QMJHL / Nashville Predators), Jan Golicic (Gatineau Olympiques, QMJHL / Tampa Bay Lightning), Maximilian Curran (Tri-City Americans, WHL / Colorado Avalanche), Matyas Melovsky (Baie-Comeau Drakkar, QMJHL / New Jersey Devils), Jakub Fibigr (Brampton Steelheads, OHL / Seattle Kraken), and Nikita Prishchepov (Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL / Colorado Avalanche).

Among some of the other notable import players to have come through the CHL before having successful NHL careers include Leon Draisaitl (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL), Zdeno Chara (Prince George Cougars / WHL), Marian Hossa (Portland Winterhawks / WHL), Michael Backlund (Kelowna Rockets / WHL), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Portland Winterhawks / WHL), Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener Rangers / OHL), Andrei Svechnikov (Barrie Colts / OHL), Nikita Zadorov (London Knights / OHL), Rasmus Andersson (Barrie Colts / OHL), Olli Määttä (London Knights / OHL), Nikita Kucherov (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies / QMJHL), Alexander Radulov (Québec Remparts / QMJHL), David Krejci (Gatineau Olympiques / QMJHL), Nico Hischier (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL), and Nikolaj Ehlers (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL).

Since the first CHL Import Draft was held in 1992, over 2,170 players from outside of Canada and the United States have been selected at this annual event. 

For full results from the 2024 CHL Import Draft, visit chl.ca/draft/chl/2024/.

2024 CHL Import Draft Summary

Number of Draft Picks by League
WHL – 26
OHL – 28
QMJHL – 28 

Number of Teams with a Draft Pick
WHL – 20
OHL – 19
QMJHL – 17

Teams with One Pick
WHL (14) – Brandon, Calgary, Edmonton, Kamloops, Kelowna, Lethbridge, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Prince George, Red Deer, Regina, Spokane, Vancouver & Wenatchee
OHL (10) – Brampton, Brantford, Erie, Guelph, Niagara, North Bay, Oshawa, Ottawa, Peterborough & Windsor
QMJHL (6) – Chicoutimi, Gatineau, Halifax, Saint John, Shawinigan & Val-d’Or

Teams with Multiple Picks
WHL (6) – Medicine Hat, Portland, Saskatoon, Seattle, Swift Current, Victoria
OHL (9) – Barrie, Flint, Kitchener, London, Owen Sound, Saginaw, Sarnia, Soo & Sudbury
QMJHL (11) – Acadie-Bathurst, Baie-Comeau, Blainville-Boisbriand, Charlottetown, Drummondville, Moncton, Québec, Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, Sherbrooke & Victoriaville

Teams with No Picks
WHL (2) – Everett & Tri-City
OHL (1) – Kingston
QMJHL (1) – Cape Breton

Draft Picks by Position
Forward – 45
Defenceman – 30 
Goaltender – 7

Draft Picks by Country
Czechia – 23
Finland – 15 (most-ever in a single CHL Import Draft)
Slovakia – 9
Russia – 9
Sweden – 7
Switzerland – 5
Germany – 5
Latvia – 4
Kazakhstan – 2 (most-ever in a single CHL Import Draft and the first selections since 2008)
France – 1 (marks the first time France has had players selected in consecutive years)
Denmark – 1 (first selection since 2020)
Belarus – 1 

2024 NHL Draft picks selected in the 2024 CHL Import Draft
1/1 Matvei Gridin (Val-d’Or Foreurs / QMJHL) drafted by the Calgary Flames (1/28)
1/3 Ilya Protas (Windsor Spitfires / OHL) drafted by the Washington Capitals (3/75)
1/12 Gabriel Eliasson (Niagara IceDogs / OHL) drafted by the Ottawa Senators (2/39)
1/14 Miroslav Holinka (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL) drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs (5/151)
1/15 Emil Hemming (Barrie Colts / OHL) drafted by the Dallas Stars (1/29)
1/19 Mikus Vecvanags (Acadie-Bathurst Titan / QMJHL) drafted by the Montréal Canadiens (5/134)
1/23 Markus Loponen (Victoria Royals / WHL) drafted by the Winnipeg Jets (5/155)
1/31 Basile Sansonnens (Rimouski Océanic / QMJHL) drafted by the Vancouver Canucks (7/221)
1/37 Loke Johansson (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL) drafted by the Boston Bruins (6/186)
1/44 Kasper Pikkarainen (Red Deer Rebels / WHL) drafted by the New Jersey Devils (3/85)
1/47 Niilopekka Muhonen (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL) drafted by the Dallas Stars (5/158)
1/56 Igor Chernyshov (Saginaw Spirit / OHL) drafted by the San Jose Sharks (2/33)
2/79 Petr Sikora (Acadie-Bathurst Titan / QMJHL) drafted by the Washington Capitals (6/178)
2/82 Sebastian Soini (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL) drafted by the Minnesota Wild (5/140)
2/97 Aron Kiviharju (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL) drafted by the Minnesota Wild (4/122)
2/105 Ondrej Kos (Kitchener Rangers / OHL) drafted by the St. Louis Blues (3/81)
2/107 Veeti Väisänen (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL) drafted by the Utah Hockey Club (3/96)
2/116 Lucas Pettersson (Saginaw Spirit / OHL) drafted by the Anaheim Ducks (2/35)