Spirit acquire first-round CHL Import Draft pick from Battalion

The 2026 OHL trade window is officially underway, and the first trade of the offseason sees the Saginaw Spirit and North Bay Battalion exchange a combination of OHL Priority Selection and CHL Import Draft assets.

Saginaw has acquired North Bay’s first-round pick in the 2026 CHL Import Draft along with a second-round pick in the 2029 OHL Priority Selection.

In return, the Battalion receive Saginaw’s third-round pick in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, Flint’s second-round pick in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, and Saginaw’s fifth-round pick in the 2029 OHL Priority Selection.

Following a rule change announced by the CHL in May 2025, clubs are now permitted to carry up to three import players on their rosters. The CHL Import Draft has subsequently expanded from two rounds to three, creating additional value around import selections and giving clubs greater flexibility in building their rosters.

As part of the changes, teams are permitted to trade CHL Import Draft selections, making deals such as this one possible. Import draft pick trades must be completed two days prior to the CHL Import Draft.

For Saginaw, acquiring a first-round import selection continues a trend of aggressively utilizing the import market. The Spirit have enjoyed considerable success through the CHL Import Draft in recent years, selecting players such as Igor Chernyshov, Matyas Sapovaliv, Pavel Mintyukov, Nikita Klepov and Stepan Shurygin. Those additions have played important roles in the club’s success both on the ice and in player development.

The deal also gives North Bay an additional second-round selection in the upcoming 2026 OHL Priority Selection presented by Real Canadian Superstore, providing immediate draft capital as clubs continue preparations for draft weekend.

The OHL trade window opened on June 2 and remains open until June 11 at 3:00 p.m. ahead of the 2026 OHL Priority Selection presented by Real Canadian Superstore, which takes place June 12-13 at Slush Puppie Place in Kingston.

All confirmed trades can be found on our OHL Trade Window Tracker.

The 2026 OHL Priority Selection presented by Real Canadian Superstore will be held June 12-13 at Slush Puppie Place in Kingston, marking the first in-person OHL Priority Selection since 2000. Round 1 begins on June 12 at 7:00 p.m., with Rounds 2-15 taking place on June 13 beginning at 9:00 a.m.