Import situations

The CHL Import draft goes later this month (June 29, I believe), so here's a quick breakdown of each WHL team's current import situation....ages given are next year's ages.

Brandon:
Current imports: F Toni Rajala (19), D Alexander Urbom (20)
Maybe a tough decision for the Wheat Kings - with Urbom moving to the overage list, they can draft one import for sure. The decision comes with what to do with Rajala. He is obviously a top-line player but there's a lot of questions about whether he'll be back in the WHL next year as a 19 year old. The Edmonton Oilers can place him somewhere in the minor pros, or Rajala can also choose to return to Finland next year - where he has a year of compulsory military service to fulfill yet. Do you drop his rights in order to pick a second Euro who might contribute next year? Or hang onto him on the slim chance he comes back?

Calgary:
Current imports: F Mikhail Fisenko (20)
The Hitmen still own the rights to last year's import pick, F Erik Haula (19) who did not report to Calgary and is slated to play for the University of Minnesota this fall after a good year in the USHL. Yes, a Finn in the NCAA. With Fisenko being an overager, the Hitmen can pick one import for sure; if they choose to give up on Haula then they can pick two.

Chilliwack:
Current imports: F Roman Horak (19), F Robin Soudek (19), Alexander Wiklund (20)
Wiklund has already been determined not to be back next year, so t
he Bruins would seem set with Horak and Soudek, especially since they traded for Soudek from Edmonton after the season ended.
They also don't have a first round pick anyway since they traded it to Edmonton at the 2009 bantam draft.
They can't make a pick without dropping/trading one of Horak/Soudek first so I would not expect them to make a pick at all.

Edmonton:
Current imports: F Sebastien Svendsen (19)
After trading Soudek, it seems more likely that the Oil Kings will keep Svendsen for another year, especially since he didn't play that badly for them after they got him from Vancouver. He is the only import on their roster so they have an open space to draft one more. But then it was pointed out to me that the Oil Kings have Chilliwack's first round pick this year as well, so they have two very high first rounders in this import draft. If they use both, then Svendsen is gone. Or they could keep Svendsen and trade one of the import first rounders....

Everett:
Current imports: D Radko Gudas (20), D Rasmus Rissanen (19)
I would think Rissanen is welcome back, which means the Silvertips will probably draft only one player, to replace Gudas - who likely isn't going to be back.

Kamloops:
Current imports: F Dalibor Bortnak (19)
The Blazers already released F Matej Bene, so likely they will draft one more player to replace him and pair up with Bortnak as next year's two Euros.

Kelowna:
Current imports: none
The Rockets have no imports on their current roster but they do still own the rights to
F Teemu Pulkkinen (18), last year's import pick. When he was drafted he was touted as a 2010-11 player, so if that still holds true then likely the Rockets only draft one more, and hold onto Pulkkinen as well.

Kootenay:
Current imports: F Dominik Pacovsky (20)
I believe the Ice have already stated that Pacovsky will not be back, which means they're drafting two guys.

Lethbridge:
Current imports: F Jacob Berglund (19), G Ville Kolppanen (18)
The Hurricanes have two import players eligible to return, and they have also already traded their very high first round import pick to Portland in the Sbisa/Berglund deal. They got Portland's pick back in that deal but it's a lot lower down in the first round. I think Berglund is a keeper for them but they need to make a decision on whether to bring Kolppanen back or whether to drop/trade him and pick a new player in the first round. Based on last year it looks like Brandon Anderson is the future in net for the Hurricanes so that probably means they do not need Kolppanen. Look for them to deal his rights to a WHL team needing a goaltender, and pick a new import.

Medicine Hat:
Current imports: F Zdenek Okal (20)
Last year's other import, Tomas Kundratek, was an overager and has graduated. I suspect Okal might be welcome back as a two-spotter (I thought he was an underrated player) but either way, the Tigers will be able to pick two new imports and then sort things out in the fall.

Moose Jaw:
Current imports: F Antonin Honejsek (19)
Last year's other import, F Jakub Herman, has already been released. Honejsek will be back, so the Warriors will draft one new player.

Portland:
Current imports: F Nino Niederreiter (18), D Luca Sbisa (20)
Sbisa is long gone, and Niederreiter is obviously a keeper even if you're slightly worried he might end up in the NHL. So the Hawks will draft one new player with that 7th overall pick they got from Lethbridge. If they get another Niederreiter.....they'll have the best pair of imports in the WHL next year by a mile.

Prince Albert:
Current imports: F Igor Revenko (20), D Stefan Warg (20)
I suspect the Raiders would welcome Revenko back as a two-spot player if he were so inclined. Warg probably moves on to the Anaheim Ducks system. Either way though, the Raiders can draft two new players and I'd expect them to do just that.

Prince George:
Current imports: F Jaroslav Vlach (18)
The Cougars have already released D Petr Senkerik (19), who they acquired last year from the Ice. They also still own the rights to F Jerome Flaake (20) but he will probably not show up for an overage season. Which means they can draft one player for sure, two if they decide to part ways with Vlach as well. I suspect they may keep Vlach though and hope he improves on his so-so totals (8g, 8a) as a 17 year old.

Red Deer:
Current imports: F Andrej Kudrna (19), F John Persson (18)
Kudrna is a for-sure keeper. Persson, the Rebels will have to assess whether they can get a better player in the first round of the import draft than they would get by bringing Persson (7g, 4a) back for another year. If they want to keep Persson, then they can trade their picks.

Regina:
Current imports: F Hampus Gustafsson (19), F Tomas Hricina (20)
Gustafsson is a keeper, he should only be better with a 2nd year. Hricina is probably gone since he was pretty average and not worth an overage spot. Problem for the Pats is that they have no first round import pick, they traded it to Vancouver in the Cass Mappin trade. So they either trade for a pick, or they wait until the 2nd round and get whatever's left there. Or they could trade for an existing import off somebody's roster.....

Saskatoon:
Current imports: D Jyri Niemi (20), F Marek Viedensky (20)
Both these guys were good players, but they have both signed NHL contracts. They're gone. Either way though the Blades could draft two new players, and certainly will.

Seattle:
Current imports: F Mikhail Senturin (18)
The Birds played the 2nd half of last season with only Senturin, after trading Warg to the Raiders, so they can pick one player for sure. Senturin only managed 5 points in 41 games as a 17 year old though, so is he coming back? Can they expect to get somebody better with their 2nd round pick? That's a decision they will have to make in the next few weeks I guess.

Spokane:
Current imports: F Dominik Uher (18), D Stefan Ulmer (20)
I suspect they'll keep Uher for a 2nd season, he wasn't terrible as a 17 year old rookie. Ulmer moves on and the Chiefs will pick one new player.

Swift Current:
Current imports: F Stepan Novotny (20)
The Broncos also own the rights to last year's first round pick, G Joni Ortio (19), who did not report last year but may do so this year. With Mark Friesen though, the Broncos don't really need Ortio for next year which means they may look around for somebody who wants a 19 year old NHL-drafted goalie who played pro in Finland last year. I can think of one team off the top of my head that might be interested. If they deal Ortio's rights, they can draft two new players. If they keep him, only one.

Tri-City:
Current imports: F Sergei Drozd (20), G Alexander Pechurski (20)
The Americans can (and almost certainly will) draft two new imports. Pechurski seems very unlikely to be back, while Drozd may be more likely. Either way though, look for them to draft two new guys and then see who are the best two at camp in the fall.

Vancouver:
Current imports: F Tomas Vincour (20)
Last year's other import, F Milan Kytnar, was an overager and has graduated. Vincour is also unlikely to be back, having signed with the NHL's Dallas Stars. So, the Giants will pick two new players and they can get them both in the first round since they have Regina's first round pick as well as their own.