Erie Otters Select Julius Saari 93rd Overall in CHL Import Draft

Erie, Pennsylvania – The Erie Otters have made their second selection in today’s CHL import draft as an impressive Finnish defenseman comes to town.

With the 93rd pick in the CHL Import Draft, the Erie Otters have selected defenseman Julius Saari from Finland.

The Vantaa, Finland native is looked at as a strong defender who uses his big body to break up plays and sets himself apart with his leadership.

In his home country last season, Saari suited up in 34 games for the Jokerit U20’s where he picked up four points (3G+1A) and was a +17. In five games later in the season with the first team he added a goal.

The 18-year-old defenseman has had opportunities to skate wearing the national colors of Finland as well, appearing in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the World Under-18 Championships, in the latter, he wore the ‘C’, captaining Team Finland.

Otters Director of Hockey Operations Scott Grieve spoke with excitement about what Saari can bring to the Otters blueline.

“Julius really impressed us at the World Under-18’s in Dallas,” Grieve said. “He excels in the defensive zone and shuts down plays while moving pucks up ice quickly. Julius was the captain of Team Finland, and gained professional experience toward the end of the season with Jokerit. We are very excited to welcome Julius and the entire Saari family to the Erie Otters and we look forward to seeing him in an Otters jersey next season.”

Saari is the first ever Finnish-born player to be selected by Erie in the CHL Import Draft, and the second player to be selected by the Otters today following Alex Misiak #32 overall. He is also the latest player to be picked by Erie in the CHL Import Draft at #93 overall, as the previous latest pick was #90 overall in 2021.

“Saari is a big-bodied, physical defensive defenseman with projectable skating ability, a robust defensive game, and flashes of excellence in transition, too. He combines his footwork with calculated aggression as a rush defender and kills plays relentlessly in the defensive zone through his physicality. ” – Elite Prospects

The CHL Import Draft – first implemented in 1992 – provides the opportunity for the Ontario, Quebec, and Western Hockey Leagues to break outside of their region-locked North American scouting waters to find hockey talent abroad. This is the only draft every year that involves all three Major Junior hockey leagues simultaneously and collaboratively, and is the only crossover between leagues outside of the Memorial Cup. As well, this is the final CHL event of the 2024-25 season, with the end of the Import Draft marking the official start of the new season across the league(s). This season, teams are allowed to carry up to three import players, expanding the draft to three rounds from the previous two. This was the first time in franchise history that the Otters held the 32nd pick in the draft.

In the 2024-25 season, the Otters held two players selected in the Import Draft. Slovakian forward Martin Misiak (2023, #1 Overall) and goaltender Noah Erliden (2024, #30 Overall) were immense contributors to the Otters first appearance in the second round of the OHL Playoffs since 2017.

Bold indicates selected player who appeared in a game for the Erie Otters.

The Erie Otters are thrilled to welcome Julius Saari home to the Flagship City and are looking forward to having him join the team in the fall.