OHL clubs select 32 players in 2026 CHL Import Draft
TORONTO — Ontario Hockey League (OHL) clubs added 32 players in the 2026 CHL Import Draft on Tuesday, a class made up of 21 forwards, six defencemen and five goaltenders.
The five goaltenders match the most ever taken by OHL teams at a single Import Draft, tying marks set in 2025 and 2009.
Five of the 32 selections have already heard their names called at the NHL Draft, headlined by defenceman Juho Piiparinen (London Knights), a first-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2026. He is joined by goaltender Matvei Nikonovich (Barrie Colts), a fifth-round selection of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2026; goaltender Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko (Sarnia Sting), a fifth-round pick of the Utah Mammoth in 2025; forward Vilho Vanhatalo (Ottawa 67’s), a sixth-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2026; and forward Luka Arkko (Erie Otters), a sixth-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2026.
The class also points firmly to the future. Of the 32 players selected, 15 are eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft and five are 2028 NHL Draft prospects. That group includes three 2010-born players — Matyas Michalek (first overall, Oshawa Generals), Gordei Khotkov (16th overall, Saginaw Spirit) and Roman Andreyev (55th overall, Kitchener Rangers) — along with late-2009-born selections Jiri Gombar (74th overall, Kitchener) and Maxim Shirochenkov (171st overall, Barrie Colts).
Michalek’s selection opened the draft, as Oshawa held the first overall pick for the first time in franchise history. He marked the first 16-year-old selected in the annual Import Draft following a rule change enabling clubs to pick 2010-born players in the first round only.
Czechia and Russia paced all nations with eight selections apiece, followed by Finland with five.
The Barrie Colts, Brantford Bulldogs and Kitchener Rangers each made three selections, the most by any OHL club. All three of Brantford’s picks came within the top 62.
Two of the 32 selections came from other CHL clubs: Flint added Latvian forward Martins Klaucans from the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL, while Brampton selected Stepan Kuryachenkov from the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos.
Held annually since 1992, the CHL Import Draft allows Canadian Hockey League clubs to select players from outside Canada and the United States. For the second straight year, the draft consisted of three rounds, reflecting the three import roster spots permitted per club.
| Rd. | Ov. | Team | Player | Pos. | Hometown | DOB | 25-26 Team | NHL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Oshawa | Matyas Michalek | LD | Prague, CZE | Jan. 18, 2010 | Sparta Praha Jr. B | 2028 |
| 1 | 4 | Guelph | Timothy Kazda | RW | Ilava, SVK | Oct. 4, 2008 | Chicago Steel | 2027 |
| 1 | 7 | Brampton | Oskari Ahmajarvi | G | Nurmijarvi, FIN | July 25, 2008 | Kiekko-Espoo U20 | 2027 |
| 1 | 10 | Sarnia | Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko | G | Chernolesovsky, RUS | May 30, 2007 | Ufa Tolpar | UTA |
| 1 | 13 | Brantford | Adam Nemec | LW | Vsetin, CZE | July 28, 2009 | Liberec Bili Tygri Jr. | 2027 |
| 1 | 16 | Saginaw | Gordei Khotkov | LD | Yaroslavl, RUS | March 10, 2010 | CSKA Moscow 06 | 2028 |
| 1 | 19 | Erie | Paul Schuster | C | Vienna, AUT | July 26, 2009 | Red Bull Akademie Juniors | 2027 |
| 1 | 22 | Owen Sound | Roderik Cernak | RD | Bratislava, SVK | March 19, 2008 | Slovan Bratislava Jr. | 2027 |
| 1 | 25 | Niagara | Stepan Stejskal | F | Plzen, CZE | Jan. 6, 2009 | Davos HC. Jr. | 2027 |
| 1 | 28 | Flint | Martins Klaucans | C | Riga, LAT | July 8, 2008 | Sherbrooke Phoenix | 2027 |
| 1 | 31 | Saginaw | Dmitri Savin | F | Novosibirsk, RUS | April 14, 2009 | CSKA U18 Moscow | 2027 |
| 1 | 34 | Sault Ste. Marie | David Vermirovsky | G | Pardubice, CZE | July 25, 2008 | Dynamo Pardubice Jr. | 2027 |
| 1 | 37 | Peterborough | Patrik Polacek | F | Prague, CZE | May 13, 2009 | Sparta Praha Jr. B | 2027 |
| 1 | 40 | London | Luca Santala | RW | Espoo, FIN | July 28, 2009 | Kiekko-Espoo U20 | 2027 |
| 1 | 43 | Flint | Tomas Selic | RW | Bratislava, SVK | May 8, 2009 | Brno Kometa Jr. B | 2027 |
| 1 | 46 | Windsor | Bogdan Yakushevsky | RW | Chita, RUS | Jan. 16, 2009 | CSKA U18 Moscow | 2027 |
| 1 | 49 | Barrie | Matvei Nikonovich | G | Minsk, BLR | June 28, 2008 | Togliatti Ladia | PIT |
| 1 | 52 | Ottawa | Vilho Vanhatalo | RW | Tampere, FIN | Jan. 18, 2008 | Tappara Tampere U20 | FLA |
| 1 | 55 | Kitchener | Roman Andreyev | F | Moscow, RUS | July 10, 2010 | Dynamo Moscow U18 | 2028 |
| 1 | 57 | Brantford | Max Calce | C | Mannheim, GER | June 11, 2009 | Adler Mannheim | 2027 |
| 2 | 62 | Brantford | Vilmer Salen Forsberg | G | Sodertalje, SWE | Aug. 21, 2009 | Sodertalje SK J18E | 2027 |
| 2 | 65 | Erie | Luka Arkko | LW | Lahti, FIN | Jan. 14, 2008 | Pelicans Lahti U20 | DET |
| 2 | 68 | Brampton | Stepan Kuryachenkov | C | Ufa, RUS | July 16, 2008 | Swift Current Broncos | 2027 |
| 2 | 71 | Sarnia | Jonas Frostestad Gulbrandsen | C | Stavanger, NOR | Oct. 14, 2008 | Stavanger Oilers | 2027 |
| 2 | 74 | Kitchener | Jiri Gombar | LD | Karlovy, CZE | Nov. 15, 2009 | Karlovy Vary Jr. B | 2028 |
| 2 | 83 | Owen Sound | Mikhail Melikov | LW | Moscow, RUS | Feb. 7, 2007 | MHC Dynamo Moscow Jr. | 2027 |
| 2 | 86 | Niagara | Tobias Kramer | RD | Mannheim, GER | June 27, 2008 | Jungadler Mannheim Jr. | 2027 |
| 2 | 95 | Sault Ste. Marie | Melichar Kovar | RW | Pardubice, CZE | April 7, 2009 | Pardubice Jr. B | 2027 |
| 2 | 101 | London | Juho Piiparinen | RD | Lahti, FIN | Aug. 10, 2008 | Tappara Tampere | VGK |
| 2 | 110 | Barrie | Elias Matousek | RW | Plzen, CZE | June 5, 2009 | Karlovy Vary Jr. B | 2027 |
| 2 | 116 | Kitchener | Benjamin Nystrom | C | Boden, SWE | March 1, 2009 | Lulea HF J18E | 2027 |
| 3 | 171 | Barrie | Maxim Shirochenkov | F | Moscow, RUS | Oct. 17, 2009 | Dynamo Moscow U17 | 2028 |
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