2024 CHL Import Draft

[SarniaStingFan]

Does anyone know if St. Louis Blues pick Juraj Pekarcik plans on going to the AHL, CHL, or NCAA next season?

He was drafted at #2 in the Import Draft by Acadie-Bathurst last season but decided to go to the USHL instead. Complicated situation because I have no clue if his CHL rights still belong to Acadie-Bathurst or if they've renounced those rights.

I don't know if he's eligible to play in the NCAA since he played in the Slovak pro league and hasn't made an a college commitment. However, if he was never signed to a contract in a pro league he would still be eligible to go the NCAA route.

Anyone have any info on where he is planning on going next season? He would be a high pick if he still has a desire to come to the CHL

 

[LeProspector]

Does anyone know if St. Louis Blues pick Juraj Pekarcik plans on going to the AHL, CHL, or NCAA next season?

He was drafted at #2 in the Import Draft by Acadie-Bathurst last season but decided to go to the USHL instead. Complicated situation because I have no clue if his CHL rights still belong to Acadie-Bathurst or if they've renounced those rights.

I don't know if he's eligible to play in the NCAA since he played in the Slovak pro league and hasn't made an a college commitment. However, if he was never signed to a contract in a pro league he would still be eligible to go the NCAA route.

Anyone have any info on where he is planning on going next season? He would be a high pick if he still has a desire to come to the CHL

Given they fielded two imports on their roster this year, I have to think they released Pekarcik’s rights?

I think you can only have two imports rights at once unless one was a first round NHL draft pick, then you can have up to three.

 

[SarniaStingFan]

Given they fielded two imports on their roster this year, I have to think they released Pekarcik’s rights?

I think you can only have two imports rights at once unless one was a first round NHL draft pick, then you can have up to three.

Yeah that's correct. When I was going through their roster the first time I only saw one import but you're right with them having two his rights would have been released. So Pekarcik would be eligible to be drafted again this year. Interesting

 

[Bjindaho]

Does anyone know if St. Louis Blues pick Juraj Pekarcik plans on going to the AHL, CHL, or NCAA next season?

He was drafted at #2 in the Import Draft by Acadie-Bathurst last season but decided to go to the USHL instead. Complicated situation because I have no clue if his CHL rights still belong to Acadie-Bathurst or if they've renounced those rights.

I don't know if he's eligible to play in the NCAA since he played in the Slovak pro league and hasn't made an a college commitment. However, if he was never signed to a contract in a pro league he would still be eligible to go the NCAA route.

Anyone have any info on where he is planning on going next season? He would be a high pick if he still has a desire to come to the CHL

There's a 0 percent chance that he was ever going to report to Bathurst. They would have been required to release him when they acquired Ponzetto.

 

[WarriorofTime]

The USHL outperformed the QMJHL 28-12 in terms of draft picks in 2023 Draft, and that does not include 12 U.S. NTDP draft selections nor any USHL alumni that had already matriculated to NCAA (i.e., Adam Fantilli). That's also with 15 non U.S. NTDP teams in the USHL against 18 teams in the QMJHL. It's quite possible he just viewed Dubuque in the USHL as a better situation than Acadie-Bathurst in the QMJHL, without regards to potential NCAA eligibility.

I don't know how in-demand the QMJHL is for high-level imports these days. Last draft, Pekarcik went 2nd and didn't come, Fiala did play for Val-d'Or, Kupec didn't come (yet? Not sure if they still hold his rights, he's only an '06), Saint John passed on making a selection, Maruna did play for Charlottetown and Drummondville also passed on making a selection.

 

[pgfan66]

The USHL outperformed the QMJHL 28-12 in terms of draft picks in 2023 Draft, and that does not include 12 U.S. NTDP draft selections nor any USHL alumni that had already matriculated to NCAA (i.e., Adam Fantilli). That's also with 15 non U.S. NTDP teams in the USHL against 18 teams in the QMJHL. It's quite possible he just viewed Dubuque in the USHL as a better situation than Acadie-Bathurst in the QMJHL, without regards to potential NCAA eligibility.

He would have gone to the right teams in the OHL or dub, just not Q and particularly not Bathurst.

 

[WarriorofTime]

He would have gone to the right teams in the OHL or dub, just not Q and particularly not Bathurst.

Yes, I think he may be holding out for OHL/WHL, or at least for most teams. Those teams don't seem to struggle too much to attract imports, the ones that don't come over tend to be highly regarded NHL draft picks picked in the middle 1st of the CHL Import that are probably more so "maybe they sign NHL ELCs and aren't quite ready for the AHL so they get loaned out" type deals.

 

[Bjindaho]

The USHL outperformed the QMJHL 28-12 in terms of draft picks in 2023 Draft, and that does not include 12 U.S. NTDP draft selections nor any USHL alumni that had already matriculated to NCAA (i.e., Adam Fantilli). That's also with 15 non U.S. NTDP teams in the USHL against 18 teams in the QMJHL. It's quite possible he just viewed Dubuque in the USHL as a better situation than Acadie-Bathurst in the QMJHL, without regards to potential NCAA eligibility.

I don't know how in-demand the QMJHL is for high-level imports these days. Last draft, Pekarcik went 2nd and didn't come, Fiala did play for Val-d'Or, Kupec didn't come (yet? Not sure if they still hold his rights, he's only an '06), Saint John passed on making a selection, Maruna did play for Charlottetown and Drummondville also passed on making a selection.

Saint John didn't draft because they had two imports and the pick was far enough back that it wasn't a slam dunk to be an upgrade.

Bathurst has a track record that they aren't a great Import drafting team.

For this draft, Val D'Or picks 1st and they will take the top kid who will report anywhere. After that, Quebec picks 4th and will likely make a splash (like Windsor before them). SJ is 7th and are expected to trade one of Mateiko/Simek to open an import spot.

 

[scoutman1]

this is really hard to predict...the 1st overall usually is not the best player in the draft, as teams are drafting guys they already have contact with and who is willing to play for their team...i been part of many of these and there is a lot of politics and money getting involved.....

 

[Bjindaho]

this is really hard to predict...the 1st overall usually is not the best player in the draft, as teams are drafting guys they already have contact with and who is willing to play for their team...i been part of many of these and there is a lot of politics and money getting involved.....

It's not a draft, but where you pick still matters if you arent in the London/Quebec etc group

 

[pgfan66]

It's not a draft, but where you pick still matters if you arent in the London/Quebec etc group

It 100% does.

 

[pgfan66]

Any new names coming out yet?

 

[SarniaStingFan]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1799058289759850750

I would expect Gridin to be one of the top picks (if not the #1 overall pick) in the CHL Import Draft if this is true

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Must be that he didn’t want to go through the schooling. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Must be that he didn’t want to go through the schooling. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.

It makes sense in that he likely would have already been there if not for the ban.

We will see if he is for sure 100% out of Michigan or if he will try and leverage for a better CHL situation.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Must be that he didn’t want to go through the schooling. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.

Thought it was the CHL ban.

 

[S E P H]

I don't know anybody who would want to bypass the University of Michigan for any CHL team that is not Taylor Hall's Windsor Spitfire.

 

[Golden_Jet]

I don't know anybody who would want to bypass the University of Michigan for any CHL team that is not Taylor Hall's Windsor Spitfire.

That’s cause you don’t know any players.
Sounds like Gridin is.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Thought it was the CHL ban.

Michigan is a higher level of hockey, although he does get out of the rule that he couldn’t play AHL in his D+2 due to being drafted out of the USHL.

 

[S E P H]

That’s cause you don’t know any players.
Sounds like Gridin is.

Eh, it is more that he wants to be lazy and does not want to do college classes (I don't blame him if that's the case). Again UM is one of the top 3 programs in all of North America, players don't really decline them.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

I don't know anybody who would want to bypass the University of Michigan for any CHL team that is not Taylor Hall's Windsor Spitfire.

London, Kitchener, and Oshawa are big market teams in the O. Quebec is a big market team in the Q, Halifax and Moncton are rated highly too. In the Dub, I know at minimum that Vancouver, Portland, and Brandon have good reputations

Eh, it is more that he wants to be lazy and does not want to do college classes (I don't blame him if that's the case). Again UM is one of the top 3 programs in all of North America, players don't really decline them.

Plenty of Michiganders and other top US kids decommitted from Michigan to go play in the O when that was more common 10 years ago.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I wonder if Demidov would consider coming over as well. 05 so only for one year but it’s better than playing in MHL and could acclimate him to North America. If St. Petersburg is letting Michkov go and knows Demidov won’t extend maybe they just let him sign an ELC also and they can put him in the CHL for a year.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Eh, it is more that he wants to be lazy and does not want to do college classes (I don't blame him if that's the case). Again UM is one of the top 3 programs in all of North America, players don't really decline them.

It might also have something to do with that he's Russian. Like I'm sure he speaks some English now, but a Russian who has been in North America for a short amount of time attempting to get good enough grades in English to remain eligible for the hockey team? Not an easy thing to do. Much easier to focus entirely on hockey.

 

[SergeConstantin74]

It might also have something to do with that he's Russian. Like I'm sure he speaks some English now, but a Russian who has been in North America for a short amount of time attempting to get good enough grades in English to remain eligible for the hockey team? Not an easy thing to do. Much easier to focus entirely on hockey.

Gazizov has been in NA for 3 years and still needed someone to translate for an interview. If Gridin didn’t know much english a year ago I don’t see how he could have gone to college.

 

[Kshahdoo]

I wonder if Demidov would consider coming over as well. 05 so only for one year but it’s better than playing in MHL and could acclimate him to North America. If St. Petersburg is letting Michkov go and knows Demidov won’t extend maybe they just let him sign an ELC also and they can put him in the CHL for a year.

MHL is actually tougher in some ways than CHL. I mean Demidov is just second in the league history who had 2 PPG season and first ever who had it in his D season, while in CHL being 2PPG+ if not trivial then pretty common. Traveling. I mean MHL teams travel from S.-Petersburg to Sakhalin. It's pretty much like from Florida to Edmonton if not further with much worse jet lag.

The real MHL problem is disparity, that's why a lot of teams play defense first and trap hockey. It actually helps with forward development because the kids have to overcome all those defensive "redoubts". But defensemen get bad habbits and aren't used to modern hockey overall.

That's why Russia didn't usually have problems with forwards, but it was different with defensemen. And even here the situation is gradually improving with more kids coming to hockey, more good teams appearing and new gold/silver division system.