Import draft rundown

The 2013 CHL Import draft is set for July 3 - the Wednesday after the NHL draft basically, as it usually has been. The CHL has the complete draft order up on their site here, if you're curious about where your favourite team(s) are picking.

According to the draft list, none of the 22 WHL teams have traded any of their import draft picks in either the first or second round, so (as of right now anyway) everyone will be picking in reverse order of last year's standings.

With that in mind, here's a little look at the import situation for each team and what I think they might be doing in Import-land:

Brandon:
Last year had '93 F Marek Kalus and '94 F Richard Nejezchleb. Kalus is not going to be back as an overager but I would think Nejezchleb will come back for his 19 year old season. Brandon has the #7 overall pick in the draft and I'd expect them to use that one and pass their 2nd round pick.

Calgary:
Last year had '94 F Pavlo Padakin and '93 F Victor Rask. Rask is going to be playing pro in the Carolina Hurricanes organization next year but Padakin should be back, meaning the Hitmen can select one player. They pick 52nd in the first round.

Edmonton:

Last year had '93 D Martin Gernat and '94 F Edgars Kulda. Gernat is going to play pro next year with the Oilers organization and I would expect Kulda to return. His numbers weren't amazing last year but were decent for a depth player on a stacked team. He should have a bigger role next year as a sophomore WHLer and at the very least should be better than what they could get with what would probably be the last pick of the draft, so I expect the Oil Kings to keep Kulda and make one pick to replace Gernat.

Everett: 

Last year had '95 D Mirco Mueller and '94 F Stathis Soumelidis. Soumelidis has already been released; Mueller - a likely NHL first round pick - is a keeper so the Silvertips will make one pick, at #10 overall, to replace Soumelidis.

Kamloops:

Last year had '94 F Tim Bozon and '93 D Marek Hrbas. Hrbas has signed with HC Sparta Praha in his native Czech Republic for next year, so he is gone. Bozon should return though, so the Blazers will be able to make one pick this year, to replace Hrbas.

Kelowna:

Last year had '94 F Henrik Nyberg. No indication from the Rockets that Nyberg will not be back to play his 19 year old season, so right now I'd expect him back. So, the Rockets can make one pick.

The Rockets also still own the rights to '94 F Zemgus Girgensons but the chances of him showing up in Kelowna are remote. As a no-show pick, Girgensons doesn't count towards the Rockets' limit of two imports and so they can still make a pick while retaining both Nyberg and Girgensons' rights.

Kootenay:

Last year had '94 F Jakub Prochazka, who they released two weeks ago, and so they currently have none and can make two picks. Whether they'll make any at all is a your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine scenario, given the organization's declining to pick imports in 2010 and 2011. If they don't want to pick, that #25 overall spot might be attractive to a lower WHL team that might want to move up.

Lethbridge:

Last year had '93 D Albin Blomqvist and his brother, '95 F Axel Blomqvist. Albin went home in midseason to deal with an injury and is not expected to return as an overager. Axel should be back though to build on a good 17 year old season. The Hurricanes can make one pick to replace Albin.

Medicine Hat:

Last year had '94 G Marek Langhamer, who should return as the Tigers' starting goaltender after splitting that role last year with departed overager Cam Lanigan. The Tigers can make one pick to add a 2nd player to go along with Langhamer.

Moose Jaw:

Last year had none - at least after they cut Nikita Zagryadskiy in midseason. So the Warriors can make two picks, the first at #19 overall. The Warriors also still own the rights to a no-show pick from last year, '95 F Frederik Tiffels - but Tiffels is set to attend Western Michigan University next year so it's unlikely he'll suddenly decide to show up in Warriors camp. They can still pick two players.

Portland:

Last year had '95 F Oliver Bjorkstrand and '95 D Kirill Vorobyev. Bjorkstrand is a no-brainer to keep; Vorobyev didn't play very much last season but could/should have a bigger role next year with the losses on the Winterhawks blueline. Those two factors, plus the fact that their first pick is the very last pick in the first round, make me think the Winterhawks will simply pass their picks and do nothing this year. If there IS somebody they want to draft, they will have to drop or trade either Bjorkstrand or Vorobyev to another WHL club first.

Prince Albert:

Last year had '95 F Leon Draisaitl and '93 F Jonas Knutsen. Knutsen has signed in his native Norway with the Valerenga club, so he will not be back as an overager. Draisaitl should return to play his NHL draft season with the Raiders, so the Raiders will be able to pick one player to replace Knutsen.

Prince George:

Last year had '94 D Rinalds Rosinskis, who has been released since the season ended. The Cougars are therefore able to pick two players. They have the #4 overall pick so they should get a good player there, although as always lately, finding somebody willing to play in Prince George seems to be the problem.

I say that because they also still own the rights to '94 F Marko Dano and '94 G Joonas Korpisalo - their 2011 and 2012 first round picks (Korpisalo was 5th overall) and neither of them came over to North America. Perhaps one or both will decide to give the Cougars a try this year.....or perhaps not. 

Red Deer:

Last year had '93 G Patrik Bartosak and '94 F Dominik Volek. It sounds like the Rebels are interested in having Bartosak back as one of those rare beasts, the overage import. And why wouldn't they, seeing as how he was just named the top goalie in the entire CHL for this past season. But Bartosak will be selected in the 2013 NHL draft - I don't see how he'll be undrafted again, seeing as how he has NHL size (6'1") and was the top goalie in the entire CHL - and his drafting team will probably want to sign him and turn him pro. Regardless though, the Rebels can pick another player to replace Bartosak since as an overager, Bartosak does not count towards the two-import limit right now. If Bartosak does come back, then the Rebels will have to choose two of Bartosak, Volek, or New Guy.

Regina:

Last year had '93 F Emil Sylvegard, who has been released but wasn't bringing his 4 goals back as an overage import anyway. The Pats can pick two new imports.

Saskatoon:

Last year had '93 G Andrey Makarov and '93 F Matej Stransky, who have both signed NHL contracts and who both will not be back. Blades can pick two new imports and no doubt hope to land two guys who can help fill the gaping holes in their upcoming lineup.

Seattle:

Last year had '94 F Alexander Delnov and '94 F Roberts Lipsbergs and there is really no reason for the Birds not to want both of them back, so I'd look for them to trade their picks. They have #13 in the first round, which should be a very attractive pick for lower teams looking to move up and land an impact import.

If Seattle wants to use that #13 itself, they'll need to drop or trade either Delnov or Lipsbergs first.

Spokane:

Last year had '93 F Alessio Bertaggia and '95 F Mikulas Rimmel. Bertaggia is probably going to play pro back home in Switzerland next year, although no signing with any team has been announced to my knowledge. I'd expect him gone though. As for Rimmel, he produced very few points last year in little playing time as a 17 year old. Do they want him back? I'd assume yes, although there are a lot of returning forwards so it's a bit hard to see where he'll get a bigger role than last year. We'll see. I'd expect the Chiefs to pick just one player, to replace Bertaggia.

Swift Current:

Last year had '93 G Eetu Laurikainen and '93 D Richard Nedomlel. Nedomlel will be turning pro in the Detroit Red Wings system, so he is gone. It sounds like the Broncos want Laurikainen to come back as an overage import, so don't be surprised to see that. Either way though, they can still draft two more since neither Laurikainen nor Nedomlel count right now. Bring the two new guys to camp along with "Eeeeeetu" and see who wins the final two spots.

Tri-City:

Last year had '94 D Michal Plutnar and '94 F Malte Stromwall. Stromwall has signed a pro contract at home in Sweden with Vaxjo, so it would seem he is gone despite having eligibility remaining in the WHL. Plutnar should return, but the Americans will have to make a difficult decision in whether or not to drop Stromwall and make another pick, or hope Stromwall does come back to the WHL despite that contract in Sweden. I suspect we'll see them drop him and make a pick.

Vancouver:

Last year had '93 F Marek Tvrdon, who is likely going pro in the Detroit organization. Regardless though, the Giants can make two picks in this import draft. They have the #1 overall selection actually....should get a definite impact player there.

Victoria:

Last year had '92 F Alex Gogolev and '94 G Patrik Polivka. Gogolev was an overager last year and has moved on. Polivka was their starting goalie and I would expect that he will return, so the Royals will be able to pick one player to replace Gogolev.

And as a bonus, now for something completely diffierent......or not.

As most of you probably already know, the CHL has changed the rules for the 2013 and 2014 (and future) Import drafts. In the 2013 draft, goaltenders can be picked in the first round only, and they must be born in 1993, 1994, or 1995. ie, no 1996 (17 year old) goaltenders this year. Starting in 2014 and forward from there, no goaltenders may be selected at all.

This has been a rather controversial decision, to say the least. Not to wade into the fray here, but I do see the CHL's point of view in making this decision. Looking strictly at the WHL, there were four starting goaltenders in the WHL last year who were imports - Bartosak in Red Deer, Makarov in Saskatoon, Laurikainen in Swift Current, and Polivka in Victoria. Those teams all had younger Canadian backups - Bolton Pouliot, Alex Moodie, Landon Bow, and Coleman Vollrath respectively. Pouliot was 18 and the other three were all 17 last year. All four backups got into between 14 and 27 games last year, which was 30-45 games fewer than the import starters played. 

I think we all can agree that more playing time makes players better. So you can make a case that the Canadian goalies - Pouliot, Moodie, Bow, and Vollrath - would be better goalies next year and in the future had they been playing 30 - 45 more games last year than they did. So this is where the CHL is accurate in saying having import goaltenders in the CHL is hurting the development of Canadian and American goaltenders. Not a lot of them, but there's obviously some who are affected.

All that having been said....I also think that if they think that this move is going to fix the Canadian "goaltending problem", then they're mistaken. I think this is a case of treating the symptoms of an illness rather than the root cause - it eliminates the (symptom) problem of Canadian goalies losing their jobs to European goalies in the CHL but doesn't address the cause.....WHY are they losing their jobs to European goalies? Why are European countries better at developing goaltenders than Canada is right now? 

I don't know the answer to that but I'd guess the cause starts much earlier than the CHL. The CHL is the last stop on the Canadian player development model, so I'd venture that if you're waiting to the major junior level to give goaltenders the attention they need, then you're waiting too long.