2019 CHL IMPORT DRAFT

[Blacksox]

CHL IMPORT DRAFT
Thursday, June 27th @ 11:00am
Niagara IceDogs select #47

In the Rod Mawhood interview, JB expressed some excitement for the upcoming Import draft, so hopefully that means the IceDogs have a player they have scouted and negotiated a deal with.


Navigating the CHL import draft requires homework, connections and a little luck
Junior hockey general managers say it’s getting harder to land an impact import
May 25, 2019 by Josh Brown Waterloo Region Record

https://www.therecord.com/sports-sto...a-little-luck/

The import draft — which runs June 27 — has always been a challenge for junior hockey clubs, but it is becoming increasingly volatile as options for players increase. But with due diligence, a few key connections and some good fortune, teams can land an impact player who can push their franchise over the top.

Team budgets don't allow for European scouts, so preparing for the annual draft can be a bit of a scramble. Major international tournaments offer the best one-stop shopping, so most teams try to send a representative to the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge, U-18 world championships, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the U-17 Four Nations tourney.

Identifying prospects is the easy part. Getting them to actually report is the challenge. "It's so hard because you never get a real answer whether they're coming or not," said Brown.

"Things can change pretty dramatically," said Sinclair. "I'd be lying if I said the three or four days between the NHL draft and the import draft aren't busy ones with a lot of phone calls."

[Blacksox]

How the CHL Import Draft (really) works
By Sunaya Sapurji (The Athletic)

"One of my favourite events on the CHL calendar is the annual import draft. It’s interesting because it’s not really a draft in the traditional sense. It’s complex, shady and there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than people who don’t follow the league closely realize. At its core, the import draft often has more to do with preordained deals than it does with actually taking the best player available. This is, as one CHL general manager described it, a “relationship draft” — the relationships you have with agents, scouts, NHL teams and the like."

Here’s hoping we have some good relationships today!

[three dog night]

Niagara only picking one .

[three dog night]

We picked https://chl.ca/prospects/2019/-158263138

[three dog night]

Another Swiss this time a defence men

[Chipperdog]

Smallish as well...what else is new.

[123 G!]

Originally Posted by Chipperdog

Smallish as well...what else is new.

Listed a little bigger here and he's only 16.

https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...ncarlo-chanton

[retired/sectionJ]

Picking a smallish defenseman is the Ice Dogs way. I wonder how much of a factor Sopa played in this pick.
Wish Bukac all the best in his future plans

[5 for fighting]

Looking at his stats he looks promising. He was captain of the U17 National Team and also played on the National U18 team despite only being 16. Our defence will definitely be weaker than our forwards (at least until we trade Thomas and Tomasino) so selecting a D man was smart.

[Blacksox]

Tremendous power hitter too

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