2023 CHL Import Draft gets underway on Wednesday at 11:00am
The 2023 CHL Import Draft is set for Wednesday, July 5 at 11:00am, being held live online at chl.ca.
As they did in both the OHL Priority Selection (Matthew Schaefer) and OHL U18 Priority Selection (Brett Hammond), the Erie Otters will select first in this year’s CHL Import Draft. This marks the first time the Otters have ever chosen first overall, with past top-five selections consisting of Ondrej Molnar (5th overall, 2022), Andre Burakovsky (5th overall, 2013), Oscar Dansk (3rd overall, 2012), Edgar Rybakov (4th overall, 2008), Jaroslav Janus (2nd overall, 2007) and Nikita Alexeev (5th overall, 1998).
Erie’s possession of the first overall selection is a result of winning the 2023 OHL Priority Selection Draft Lottery, which seeded the Niagara IceDogs with the fourth overall pick, Soo Greyhounds with the seventh overall pick and Kingston Frontenacs with the 10th overall pick in tomorrow’s proceedings. Teams will revert to their original draft order as determined by the OHL regular season standings for the second round of the CHL Import Draft.
Recent first overall CHL Import Draft Selections to play in the OHL have included Matvey Petrov (2020, North Bay Battalion), Andrei Svechnikov (2017, Barrie Colts) and Pavel Zacha (2014, Sarnia Sting).
Having been conducted prior to the NHL Draft in each of the past three years, this year’s CHL Import Draft returns to a placement following the NHL’s annual selection, that saw 35 OHL players chosen last week in Nashville, Tennessee.