Mooseheads hold No. 20 pick for 2026 CHL Import Draft
New for this year’s draft, 20-year-old import players will be eligible to be selected in any round, while 16-year-old import players may only be selected in the first round.
Your Halifax Mooseheads will make the 20th overall selection in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, set for Tuesday, June 30, at 11 a.m. ET. The Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) hold the first overall pick, followed by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL), who own the third overall pick.
(See the complete draft order below)
Halifax also holds the 81st overall selection in the second round and the 142nd in the third round. The Mooseheads have two open import roster spots following the departures of defenceman Carlos Handel and forward Jasu Mensonen. Handel returned to Germany where he recently signed with Kölner Haie in the Deutsche Eishockey League (DEL) while Mensonen officially signed a one-year contract extension with his original Finnish club, Lukko Rauma after his one-year loan agreement expired.
Russian forward Oleg Kulebiakin will return to the team after leading the Mooseheads in scoring as a 17-year-old rookie in 2025-26 with 73 points in 64 games during the regular season.
For the second straight year, the CHL Import Draft will consist of three rounds as the CHL enters its second season with three import player spots available on each club’s roster. Under updated rules for the 2026 CHL Import Draft, 20-year-old import players will be eligible to be selected in any round, while 16-year-old import players may also be selected, but only in the first round.
CHL clubs may carry a maximum of one 16-year-old import player per season, and that player cannot be traded or replaced by another import player during his 16-year-old season. If a 16-year-old import player is released to another level of hockey during the regular season or deleted from a club’s roster, that club will be limited to two import players for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. CHL clubs have been permitted to trade selections in the 2027 CHL Import Draft since May 5, 2026, while 2026 selections may continue to be traded until Monday, June 29.
The only other time Halifax has held the 20th pick in the draft, the Herd selected Russian forward Andrei Shefer in 1999. Shefer participated in one season with the Mooseheads and performed well by scoring 34 goals and 42 assists as the team hosted the Memorial Cup for the first time. He was also a second round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 1999.
The CHL Import Draft has helped bring a number of future NHL standouts to the CHL, including Leon Draisaitl (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL), Zdeno Chara (Prince George Cougars / WHL), Marian Hossa (Portland Winterhawks / WHL), Mikael Backlund (Kelowna Rockets / WHL), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Portland Winterhawks / WHL), Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener Rangers / OHL), Nikita Zadorov (London Knights / OHL), Rasmus Andersson (Barrie Colts / OHL), Olli Määttä (London Knights / OHL), Alexander Radulov (Québec Remparts / QMJHL), David Krejci (Gatineau Olympiques / QMJHL), and Nico Hischier (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL). That list also includes two-time Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies / QMJHL), who captured the award for the second time in his career during the 2025-26 season, as well as recent 2026 Stanley Cup champions Andrei Svechnikov (Barrie Colts / OHL) and Nikolaj Ehlers (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL), who helped the Carolina Hurricanes capture their second championship in franchise history.
Since the first CHL Import Draft was held in 1992, over 2,310 players from outside of Canada and the United States have been selected at this annual event.
On Tuesday, June 30, fans and media can follow along with the 2026 CHL Import Draft and view full results at chl.ca/draft.
Order of Selections for the 2026 CHL Import Draft (as of June 23rd)
| First Round | Second Round | Third Round | |||
| No. | Team | No. | Team | No. | Team |
| 1 | Oshawa Generals | 62 | Brantford Bulldogs (from Oshawa) | 123 | Oshawa Generals |
| 2 | Baie-Comeau Drakkar | 63 | Baie-Comeau Drakkar | 124 | Baie-Comeau Drakkar |
| 3 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 64 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 125 | Lethbridge Hurricanes |
| 4 | Guelph Storm (From Erie) | 65 | Erie Otters | 126 | Erie Otters |
| 5 | Rimouski Océanic | 66 | Chicoutimi Saguenéens (from Rimouski) | 127 | Rimouski Océanic |
| 6 | Everett Silvertips (from Swift Current) | 67 | Swift Current Broncos | 128 | Swift Current Broncos |
| 7 | Brampton Steelheads | 68 | Brampton Steelheads | 129 | Brampton Steelheads |
| 8 | Gatineau Olympiques | 69 | Gatineau Olympiques | 130 | Gatineau Olympiques |
| 9 | Vancouver Giants | 70 | Vancouver Giants | 131 | Vancouver Giants |
| 10 | Sarnia Sting | 71 | Sarnia Sting | 132 | Sarnia Sting |
| 11 | Victoriaville Tigres | 72 | Moncton Wildcats (from Victoriaville) | 133 | Victoriaville Tigres |
| 12 | Tri-City Americans (from Wenatchee) | 73 | Everett Silvertips (from Wenatchee) | 134 | Wenatchee Wild |
| 13 | Brantford Bulldogs (from Sudbury) | 74 | Kitchener Rangers (from Sudbury) | 135 | Sudbury Wolves |
| 14 | Saint John Sea Dogs | 75 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (from Saint John) | 136 | Saint John Sea Dogs |
| 15 | Moose Jaw Warriors | 76 | Moose Jaw Warriors | 137 | Moose Jaw Warriors |
| 16 | Saginaw Spirit | 77 | Saginaw Spirit | 138 | North Bay Battalion (from Saginaw) |
| 17 | Val-d’Or Foreurs | 78 | Saint John Sea Dogs (from Val-d’Or) | 139 | Val-d’Or Foreurs |
| 18 | Regina Pats (from Red Deer) | 79 | Red Deer Rebels | 140 | Red Deer Rebels |
| 19 | Erie Otters (from Guelph) | 80 | Guelph Storm | 141 | Guelph Storm |
| 20 | Halifax Mooseheads | 81 | Halifax Mooseheads | 142 | Halifax Mooseheads |
| 21 | Swift Current Broncos (from Tri-City) | 82 | Calgary Hitmen (from Tri-City) | 143 | Tri-City Americans |
| 22 | Owen Sound Attack | 83 | Owen Sound Attack | 144 | Owen Sound Attack |
| 23 | Chicoutimi Saguenéens (from Cape Breton) | 84 | Shawinigan Cataractes (from Cape Breton) | 145 | Cape Breton Eagles |
| 24 | Red Deer Rebels (from Regina Pats) | 85 | Regina Pats | 146 | Regina Pats |
| 25 | Niagara IceDogs | 86 | Niagara IceDogs | 147 | Niagara IceDogs |
| 26 | Sherbrooke Phoenix | 87 | Sherbrooke Phoenix | 148 | Sherbrooke Phoenix |
| 27 | Victoria Royals | 88 | Penticton Vees (from Victoria) | 149 | Victoria Royals |
| 28 | Flint Firebirds (from Kingston) | 89 | Flint Firebirds (from Kingston) | 150 | Kingston Frontenacs |
| 29 | Québec Remparts | 90 | Québec Remparts | 151 | Québec Remparts |
| 30 | Portland Winterhawks | 91 | Swift Current Broncos (from Portland) | 152 | Portland Winterhawks |
| 31 | Saginaw Spirit (from North Bay) | 92 | North Bay Battalion | 153 | North Bay Battalion |
| 32 | Charlottetown Islanders | 93 | Charlottetown Islanders | 154 | Charlottetown Islanders |
| 33 | Seattle Thunderbirds | 94 | Seattle Thunderbirds | 155 | Seattle Thunderbirds |
| 34 | Soo Greyhounds | 95 | Soo Greyhounds | 156 | Soo Greyhounds |
| 35 | Shawinigan Cataractes | 96 | Shawinigan Cataractes | 157 | Cape Breton Eagles (from Shawinigan) |
| 36 | Spokane Chiefs | 97 | Spokane Chiefs | 158 | Spokane Chiefs |
| 37 | Peterborough Petes | 98 | Peterborough Petes | 159 | Peterborough Petes |
| 38 | Newfoundland Regiment | 99 | Newfoundland Regiment | 160 | Newfoundland Regiment |
| 39 | Kamloops Blazers | 100 | Kamloops Blazers | 161 | Kamloops Blazers |
| 40 | London Knights | 101 | London Knights | 162 | London Knights |
| 41 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | 102 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | 163 | Drummondville Voltigeurs |
| 42 | Saskatoon Blades | 103 | Saskatoon Blades | 164 | Saskatoon Blades |
| 43 | Flint Firebirds | 104 | Kingston Frontenacs (from Flint) | 165 | Kingston Frontenacs (from Flint) |
| 44 | Saint John Sea Dogs (from Blainville-Boisbriand) | 105 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | 166 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada |
| 45 | Brandon Wheat Kings | 106 | Brandon Wheat Kings | 167 | Brandon Wheat Kings |
| 46 | Windsor Spitfires | 107 | Windsor Spitfires | 168 | Windsor Spitfires |
| 47 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | 108 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | 169 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies |
| 48 | Calgary Hitmen | 109 | Everett Silvertips (from Calgary) | 170 | Calgary Hitmen |
| 49 | Barrie Colts | 110 | Barrie Colts | 171 | Barrie Colts |
| 50 | Rimouski Océanic (from Chicoutimi) | 111 | Chicoutimi Saguenéens | 172 | Chicoutimi Saguenéens |
| 51 | Edmonton Oil Kings (from Kelowna) | 112 | Kelowna Rockets | 173 | Kelowna Rockets |
| 52 | Ottawa 67’s | 113 | Ottawa 67’s | 174 | Ottawa 67’s |
| 53 | Moncton Wildcats | 114 | Moncton Wildcats | 175 | Moncton Wildcats |
| 54 | Saskatoon Blades (from Prince George) | 115 | Prince George Cougars | 176 | Prince George Cougars |
| 55 | Kitchener Rangers | 116 | Kitchener Rangers | 177 | Sudbury Wolves (from Kitchener) |
| 56 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 117 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 178 | Kelowna Rockets (from Edmonton) |
| 57 | Brantford Bulldogs | 118 | Sudbury Wolves (From Brantford) | 179 | Oshawa Generals (from Brantford) |
| 58 | Victoria Royals (from Penticton) | 119 | Penticton Vees | 180 | Penticton Vees |
| 59 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 120 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 181 | Medicine Hat Tigers |
| 60 | Prince Albert Raiders | 121 | Prince Albert Raiders | 182 | Prince Albert Raiders |
| 61 | Everett Silvertips | 122 | Everett Silvertips | 183 | Everett Silvertips |
