CHL announces order of selection, changes 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.

The Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) hold the first overall pick in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, set for Tuesday, June 30, at 11 a.m. ET. The Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) currently hold the No. 2 selection, while the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL) own the third overall pick. The Guelph Storm of the OHL, hosts of the 2027 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota, round out the top four after moving up in the draft order last week through a trade with the Erie Otters (see the complete draft order below).

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.

For the first time in the history of the CHL Import Draft, the Oshawa Generals hold the first overall pick. It also marks the first time the Generals have held a top-five selection at the event, with their only previous top-10 pick coming in 2010 when they chose Danish forward Nicklas Jensen eighth overall. Last year, Oshawa selected Onni Kalto 41st overall with its first pick in the 2025 CHL Import Draft, and the Finnish forward went on to become one of four Generals skaters to reach the 20-goal plateau, finishing with 29 points over 62 games during the 2025-26 season. Oshawa’s third-round pick, Vadim Smirnov, also contributed 21 points, including 10 goals, across 61 contests. Over the years, the Generals have developed several notable import talents, including Swedish forward Tobias Lindberg, who helped Oshawa capture both the OHL Championship and Memorial Cup in 2015, Danish first-round NHL Draft pick Nicklas Jensen, Czech defenceman Jan Snopek, and recent Finnish standout Rasmus Kumpulainen.

Although the Baie-Comeau Drakkar have twice selected first overall in the history of the CHL Import Draft, 2026 marks the first time the club has held the No. 2 pick at the event. At last year’s CHL Import Draft, the Drakkar used their first-round pick, 36th overall, to select Italian forward Jacopo De Luca, who became just the seventh Italian player ever chosen in the history of the draft. De Luca went on to record 25 points in 56 games during the 2025-26 season, finishing fifth in team scoring, while third-round pick Filip Vlk of Czechia added seven goals and seven assists over 55 contests. Baie-Comeau has also built a strong track record of developing talent through the CHL Import Draft, highlighted by Russian forwards Valentin Zykov and Ivan Chekhovich, who both delivered high-end offensive seasons with the Drakkar, along with Czech forward Matyas Melovsky, a 200-point producer during his time in Baie-Comeau, and Latvian defenceman Niks Fenenko, a steady presence on the club’s blue line over three seasons.

The Lethbridge Hurricanes hold the third overall pick of the 2026 CHL Import Draft, marking the second time in franchise history they have held the No. 3 selection and the third time they have owned a top-three pick at the event. At last year’s draft, the Hurricanes selected Czech defenceman Tomas Malinek in the second round, and he went on to record six points over 59 games during the 2025-26 season. Lethbridge also added Lithuanian forward Mykolas Skadauskas, one of just four Lithuanian players ever selected in the CHL Import Draft and one of the first two taken in 17 years, who registered six assists across 34 regular-season games. Over the years, the Hurricanes have successfully used the CHL Import Draft to add players who made an immediate impact in Lethbridge and carried that success beyond the WHL, from Slovak forward Tomas Kopecky and Swiss defenceman Luca Sbisa to Finnish goaltender Juha Metsola, who helped backstop the club to the 2008 WHL Championship Series.

The CHL Import Draft has long served as an important pathway for international players to develop in the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL before later hearing their names called at the NHL Draft. At the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, six CHL players selected through the CHL Import Draft were chosen by NHL clubs: Radim Mrtka (Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL / Buffalo Sabres), Max Pšenička (Portland Winterhawks, WHL / Utah Mammoth), Julius Sumpf (Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL / Chicago Blackhawks), David Lewandowski (Saskatoon Blades, WHL /  Edmonton Oilers), Carlos Händel (Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL /  Montréal Canadiens), and Filip Ekberg (Ottawa 67’s, OHL / Carolina Hurricanes).

The event has also 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 11:00 a.m. ET on June 23)