Canadian Hockey League announces Order of Selections for 2021 CHL Import Draft

The Canadian Hockey League today announced the Order of Selections for the 2021 CHL Import Draft to be held online Wednesday, June 30 at 11 a.m. Eastern.

The QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar will select first overall after completing the 2020-21 season with an 8-26-1-1 record and 18 points in 36 games.

Baie-Comeau passed on both of its selections in last year’s Import Draft, opting to retain its two selections from the prior class that counted Belarusian right-wing Valentin Demchenko and Latvian left-wing and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Raivis Kristians Ansons. After wrapping up 2019-20 with 34 points in 57 games, Demchenko played overseas this past season due to pandemic challenges, while Ansons joined the club in late February before putting up six points in nine games, building on a successful first season in which he collected 35 points in 60 games.

The WHL’s Everett Silvertips will select second overall after winning an equal-odds lottery to determine the league’s order of selection following its abbreviated 2020-21 season.

Like the Drakkar, the Silvertips passed on both of their selections in the 2020 CHL Import Draft, and instead opted to retain 2019 selection Michal Gut, a Czech-born centre who put together an impressive first season in 2019-20 that counted 13 goals and 23 assists for 36 points in 51 games before returning to the Czech Republic on loan for the 2020-21 campaign. Additionally, the Silvertips also retained Slovakian left-wing Martin Fasko-Rudas. Through his first two seasons with the club, the budding forward notched 46 points in 130 games then added eight points in 17 games to begin the 2019-20 season before later shifting to the Saskatoon Blades.

The OHL’s Barrie Colts will select third overall in the 2021 CHL Import Draft. Ontario Hockey League clubs will draft in inverse order of the lottery results drawn to determine the selection order for the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. The Colts held the last pick of the first round of the 2021 OHL Priority Selection.

The Colts made two selections in the 2020 CHL Import Draft, first choosing Czech-born centre Stanislav Vrhel before adding Belarusian right-wing Alexander Palchik in the second round. Both players competed overseas in 2020-21 with the OHL unable to Return to Play. During the 2019-20 campaign, Barrie deployed Latvian-born netminder and Vancouver Canucks prospect Arturs Silovs who posted a 16-13-2-2 record with a .891 save percentage and 3.87 goals-against average across 36 appearances in addition to Czech-born left-wing and Buffalo Sabres prospect Matej Pekar who posted 29 points counting 16 goals and 13 assists through 26 games before later joining the Sudbury Wolves.

Last year, the North Bay Battalion chose first overall in the 2020 CHL Import Draft, selecting Russian right-wing Matvei Petrov, followed by Czech-born goaltender and Detroit Red Wings prospect Jan Bednar’s second-overall selection by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, and Slovakian-born defenceman Oliver Fatul at third overall to the Swift Current Broncos.

Order of Selections for 2021 CHL Import Draft