2023 CHL Import Draft

[Wooren]

I've seen enough history of CHL import drafts to know that the majority of the players selected will have 20 career-high points and play bottom-six roles. You are out to lunch if you think all these Czech picks will be successful. They got this many because CHL teams are scared to take Russians for geopolitical strife.

Cool, you didn't give any names though. Who are the sure fire point per game stars all these teams missed out on? There are certainly some mediocre Czechs selected who I expect to be back by midseason, but it's definitely not the majority, not even close.

 

[ClasslessGuy]

Any intel on Golicic ? Big body

 

[Wooren]

Anyone have any insight on Matteo Koci and Vojtech Vochvest? Both drafted by Kamloops.

Koci is a borderline NHL prospect, he skates well, is competent with the puck and is surprisingly physical. But he really needs to get stronger. Should be a decent player right away. Vochvest doesn't have much upside, but he is very physical. If he's able to keep up, he could be a fan favorite, he loves to hit. But puck skills are limited and I doubt he ever becomes more than a depth/bottom 6 defenseman, unlike Koci, who could eventually grow into a strong top 4 D at the WHL level.

 

[Juniorhockeyguru]

Koci is a borderline NHL prospect, he skates well, is competent with the puck and is surprisingly physical. But he really needs to get stronger. Should be a decent player right away. Vochvest doesn't have much upside, but he is very physical. If he's able to keep up, he could be a fan favorite, he loves to hit. But puck skills are limited and I doubt he ever becomes more than a depth/bottom 6 defenseman, unlike Koci, who could eventually grow into a strong top 4 D at the WHL level.

Thank you.

 

[landy92mack29]

I've seen enough history of CHL import drafts to know that the majority of the players selected will have 20 career-high points and play bottom-six roles. You are out to lunch if you think all these Czech picks will be successful. They got this many because CHL teams are scared to take Russians for geopolitical strife.

CHL bans Russian, Belarusian players from its Import Draft

The Canadian Hockey League will reportedly make Russian and Belarusian player ineligible ahead of their 2022 Import Draft in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

www.sportsnet.ca

CHL teams aren't allowed to draft Russians or Belarus players anymore.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

CHL bans Russian, Belarusian players from its Import Draft

The Canadian Hockey League will reportedly make Russian and Belarusian player ineligible ahead of their 2022 Import Draft in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

www.sportsnet.ca

CHL teams aren't allowed to draft Russians or Belarus players anymore.

*except ones that have were selected before the ban took effect, and their previous organization renounced the rights.

It’s why Valentin Zhugin was able to be selected this year.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

I believe it's the only sports league in the world that continues to do so.

Decision that suits Russia, which was looking to keep its prospects in the MHL.

Congratulations. When appearance is more important than reflection.

 

[albinaguerette]

Hi, new around. So while considering the immediate impact of players on a CHL club is important, it's equally crucial to evaluate the potential of younger players who can contribute for multiple seasons I mean investing in their development can lead to long-term benefits for the team. Older players who may leave after a single season can create a void that disrupts the team's stability(

Yes and no. There are tons of examples of players who could've stayed for 2+ years but go back home after one season to play pro. Tommaso De Luca is a recent example. So while it makes sense to draft a 17-year-old player who can play 3 or even 4 years, it often doesn't work out that way. And that can result in getting a worse player than you could've had for the time that the player was actually there.

Just a lot of uncertainty with imports in a lot of different ways. But of course you always have to see what you need on the roster.

Ok, it sounds reasonable. Great arguments

 

[EbonyRaptor]

I don't care what the naysayers say - I think Misiak has a good chance to be a good one - love his size, speed and tenacity.

 

[pgfan66]

I don't care what the naysayers say - I think Misiak has a good chance to be a good one - love his size, speed and tenacity.

Same. Very good pick, most other teams would’ve loved to get him.

 

[Maverick41]

I meant the players born in 04 and especially 05 that were already picked in the Import draft. Guys like Hull and Kimo Gruber who were supposed to be big contributors in the CHL but disappointed. As far as Lurati goes, I am not super familiar with him. But putting up good numbers in the very weak Swiss U20 league doesn't guarantee CHL success. Just look at Liekit Reichle for example, who put up better numbers than Lurati while being a year younger and still ended up a very pedestrian WHL player. Maybe the Czech players you mentioned are even significantly less promising than that, but I can't comment on them. As far as Switzerland is concerned however, you want to look at about a dozen 06 born players before you are even thinking about someone like Lurati. There is where the potential value is at right now. Finland and Sweden seem to be doing fine developing their players in their own domestic systems, so the attraction of the CHL to those prospects is probably pretty low as you already pointed out.

I think the situation with German players is somewhat similar. Basically 03, 04 and 05 were weak years, and the few promising ones that tried to go the CHL route weren't exactly sucessful.

• Bettahar did well in his first year, but his second season saw a regression in points, performance and usage, so he went back home.
• Hänelt was always injured, but when healthy never set the world on fire.
• Hafenrichter pretty much busted completely, Proske did well and could maybe have stuck it out, but also decided to go back home to play pro hockey.
• Hauf had a solid first season on a really bad Oil Kings team, we'll have to wait and see how he does on a new team this season.
• Niedenz also moved back home after one unspectacular season split between Barrie and Oshawa.
• Moritz Elias didn't even stick around for an entire season, but bolted back home from Saskatoon mid-season.

And right now the trend seems to be that the best prospects we have rather stay in Germany to get their first taste of pro hockey, or try to succeed in Sweden.
The Sweden route in particular seems to become more attractive. We have seen it the last few years to varying degrees of success from guys like
Yegor Alanov, Roman Kechter, Julian Wäser, Elias Pata, Dustin Willhöft, Noah Garthe, Maximilian Brunner, Nikita Müller and Carlos Händel. And I believe for the coming season, Darian Rolsing ('08) will also go that route.

The types of prospects that would definitely succeed in the CHL are rare and can just as easily play pro at home (e.g. Stützle, Seider, Peterka, Reichel)
There have not been many kids from Germany that weren't very high level prospects, who did well in the CHL. Those rare exceptions like Sebastian Uvira, Markus Eisenschmid, Leon Gawanke, Marcel Noebels oder Mathias Niederberger are just not enough to make me think any of these borderline prospects of the last few years could actually thrive in the CHL.

But in the end it's all about the individual player. Just look at Nico Sturm and his amazing journey to the NHL.
From lower level programs in Germany to the NAHL to the USHL to College to a year mostly in the AHL to NHL regular.

 

[pgfan66]

I think the situation with German players is somewhat similar. Basically 03, 04 and 05 were weak years, and the few promising ones that tried to go the CHL route weren't exactly sucessful.

• Bettahar did well in his first year, but his second season saw a regression in points, performance and usage, so he went back home.
• Hänelt was always injured, but when healthy never set the world on fire.
• Hafenrichter pretty much busted completely, Proske did well and could maybe have stuck it out, but also decided to go back home to play pro hockey.
• Hauf had a solid first season on a really bad Oil Kings team, we'll have to wait and see how he does on a new team this season.
• Niedenz also moved back home after one unspectacular season split between Barrie and Oshawa.
• Moritz Elias didn't even stick around for an entire season, but bolted back home from Saskatoon mid-season.

And right now the trend seems to be that the best prospects we have rather stay in Germany to get their first taste of pro hockey, or try to succeed in Sweden.
The Sweden route in particular seems to become more attractive. We have seen it the last few years to varying degrees of success from guys like
Yegor Alanov, Roman Kechter, Julian Wäser, Elias Pata, Dustin Willhöft, Noah Garthe, Maximilian Brunner, Nikita Müller and Carlos Händel. And I believe for the coming season, Darian Rolsing ('08) will also go that route.

The types of prospects that would definitely succeed in the CHL are rare and can just as easily play pro at home (e.g. Stützle, Seider, Peterka, Reichel)
There have not been many kids from Germany that weren't very high level prospects, who did well in the CHL. Those rare exceptions like Sebastian Uvira, Markus Eisenschmid, Leon Gawanke, Marcel Noebels oder Mathias Niederberger are just not enough to make me think any of these borderline prospects of the last few years could actually thrive in the CHL.

But in the end it's all about the individual player. Just look at Nico Sturm and his amazing journey to the NHL.
From lower level programs in Germany to the NAHL to the USHL to College to a year mostly in the AHL to NHL regular.

I think there are a few things worth correcting/pointing out here.

- Bettahar didn't go home voluntarily. Swift Current dropped him. He was hoping to be redrafted and return to the CHL for the upcoming season but that didn't happen.
- Hänelt never set the world on fire but he did really well considering the circumstances. The first year is often difficult for imports, most make a big jump in production the second year. Injuries made it even tougher for Hänelt. I do think he would've had similar production to Proske in his first year and improved in his second without the injuries.
- Like Bettahar, Proske didn't decide to go home. He too wanted to spend another year in Spokane. In his case, it wasn't the Chiefs who didn't want him back, it was Iserlohn who didn't release him. He's still listed by Prince Albert because he's clearly a very good import option, but Iserlohn just decided to keep him home "against his will" (he or rather his agent did make the mistake of signing a contract that only had a CHL out-clause for the first year).

That said, I feel like players and their agents are really bad at identifying the right options. The players and parents can't really know because they have no idea what the level of play in the CHL is like and will listen to the agents. So I really blame the agents.

Of course guys like Stützle and Seider can just as easily play pro and guys like Hafenrichter and Elias aren't close to being good enough for CHL imports. The level of player who should be all over the opportunity to play major junior are guys like Panocha, Tropmann or even Lutz (who may be a full-time pro but with fourth-line minutes or less). It was a perfect fit for Proske and Hänelt too. But thanks to the U23 rules, DEL teams will promise these guys big roles that they'll never get.

 

[Speyer]

And right now the trend seems to be that the best prospects we have rather stay in Germany to get their first taste of pro hockey, or try to succeed in Sweden.
The Sweden route in particular seems to become more attractive. We have seen it the last few years to varying degrees of success from guys like
Yegor Alanov, Roman Kechter, Julian Wäser, Elias Pata, Dustin Willhöft, Noah Garthe, Maximilian Brunner, Nikita Müller and Carlos Händel. And I believe for the coming season, Darian Rolsing ('08) will also go that route.

The Sweden route seems to become more popular in Switzerland as well. Not just because of the recent success of Bichsel in Leksands but also because of similar success stories of players like Seider and Kasper. Then we had a few other players going over there who didn't generate much draft exposure but did improve their game and are now in a better position to start a pro career. The Swiss federation seems to hold the Swedish model in much higher regard than the CHL too, at least at the moment. Jamiro Reber already signed with HV71 for next season and I wouldn't be surprised if a couple more 06 players will follow suit. In my opinion there is really no flat out better path between the two models. I feel like it really comes down to the individual player who wants to go there, to his personality and skillset and to the team structure, and culture of the franchise he aims to join. And to luck too of course. I don't think Bichsel could have landed in a much better spot than Lekands but the same thing could be said about Hischier and Halifax as well.

But I also agree on what @pgfan66 said. Players and their families need to be more careful when it comes to team selection. I have seen way to many leaps of faith in that regard in the last few years. And the wrong move can easily derail or even kill your career if you are not a blue chip prospect. Unfortunately so can staying in Switzerland if no spots open up at the pro level. And I don't see that getting much easier in the next few years. So its really a Catch 22 for some of those young prospects, unfortunately.

 

[Maverick41]

I think there are a few things worth correcting/pointing out here.

- Bettahar didn't go home voluntarily. Swift Current dropped him. He was hoping to be redrafted and return to the CHL for the upcoming season but that didn't happen.
- Hänelt never set the world on fire but he did really well considering the circumstances. The first year is often difficult for imports, most make a big jump in production the second year. Injuries made it even tougher for Hänelt. I do think he would've had similar production to Proske in his first year and improved in his second without the injuries.
- Like Bettahar, Proske didn't decide to go home. He too wanted to spend another year in Spokane. In his case, it wasn't the Chiefs who didn't want him back, it was Iserlohn who didn't release him. He's still listed by Prince Albert because he's clearly a very good import option, but Iserlohn just decided to keep him home "against his will" (he or rather his agent did make the mistake of signing a contract that only had a CHL out-clause for the first year).

That said, I feel like players and their agents are really bad at identifying the right options. The players and parents can't really know because they have no idea what the level of play in the CHL is like and will listen to the agents. So I really blame the agents.

Of course guys like Stützle and Seider can just as easily play pro and guys like Hafenrichter and Elias aren't close to being good enough for CHL imports. The level of player who should be all over the opportunity to play major junior are guys like Panocha, Tropmann or even Lutz (who may be a full-time pro but with fourth-line minutes or less). It was a perfect fit for Proske and Hänelt too. But thanks to the U23 rules, DEL teams will promise these guys big roles that they'll never get.

Thanks for the corrections and the additional context. Much appreciated.

 

[pgfan66]

Friend come back from NHL draft today and give me this list of players that go to CHL:

F
Fabry, Andrej (CZE)
Kos, Ondrej (CZE)
Drancak, Samuel (CZE)
Misiak, Martin (SVK)
Satan, Miroslav (SVK)
Cisar, Peter (SVK)
Maruna, Ondrej (SVK)
Pobezal, Tomas (SVK)
Pekarcik, Juraj (SVK)
Cedzo, Adam (SVK)
Antenen, Robin (SUI)
Gredig, Rico (SUI)
Felcman, Jiri (SUI)
Wagner, Matteo (SUI)
Kaderli, Andro (SUI)
Meier, Rafael (SUI)
Meier, Simon (SUI)
Brandl, Linus (GER)
Bicker, Kevin (GER)
Schreiner, Vadim (GER)
Vinzens, Paul (GER)
Ansons, Krister (LAT)
Straume Vatne, Elias (NOR)
Indergaard, Ole (NOR)

D
Badinka, Dominik (CZE)
Galvas, Tomas (CZE)
Fibigr, Jakub (CZE)
Jiricek, Adam (CZE)
Barcik, Samuel (SVK)
Ustinkov, Danil (SUI)
Muggli, Leon (SUI)
Schneller, Eric (SUI)
Balestra, Nic (SUI)

G
Matecha, Lukas (CZE)
Vondras, Jakub (CZE)
Marossy, Alexander (CZE)
Willerscheid, Leon (GER)
Steinbergs, Kristers (DEN)

Lol

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Lol

20% isn’t bad, right?

 

[pgfan66]

20% isn’t bad, right?

20% were drafted. At least 6+ of them won’t report.

 

[dr1234]

Any word on commitments yet? I’ve only heard of Miettinen to Everett.

 

[pgfan66]

Any word on commitments yet? I’ve only heard of Miettinen to Everett.

Moncton had an Instagram story of their players in jerseys right after the draft. I think there was another Q team that did the same and had video messages from the player but I don’t remember which one. Both Brampton picks are already signed.

 

[Garl]

I believe it's the only sports league in the world that continues to do so.

Decision that suits Russia, which was looking to keep its prospects in the MHL.

Congratulations. When appearance is more important than reflection.

Yes, this was a dumb decision indeed

 

[pgfan66]

Both Armada picks are confirmed to report to training camp starting August 15:

 

[pgfan66]

Rio Kaiser has signed a pro deal in Berlin. Doesn’t sound like the OHL is an option.

 

[Antiillafire]

All but confirms he’s going lol

 

[pgfan66]

Kukumberg has committed to Sarnia according to a video from him on the team’s Instagram page.

 

[hellwar9]

It looks like all drafted Slovaks will go to the CHL. The only questionable one right now is Tomas Pobezal.