2024 CHL Import Draft Review

On July 4th, the Canadian Hockey League held its annual Import Draft. It is here, CHL teams get the opportunity to add import talent to their roster. There are two rounds of the draft, and a team can pass on their pick at any time.Just to remind you, CHL clubs are permitted to carry only two import players on their team or protected list every year. However, if a CHL team has an Import who was an NHL first round pick they receive the opportunity to add another player to their protected list to cover should that first round import make the pro level. There are other scenarios which can allow you to carry the rights of three (such as having an OA Import, having an Import on their protected list who didn’t show the year prior, having a player signed to an NHL contract on your list, etc). It is a pretty complicated process. This year we saw the return of Russian and Belarussian players to the Import Draft, which obviously improved the talent pool. When we look at previous year’s selections, several could join the league this upcoming season such as Noel Nordh, David Svozil, Adam Jiricek, or even Tomas Pobezal or Tomas Galvas. Given that many teams won’t know what to expect from so many of their players, predicting how imports succeed next year seems very difficult. Let’s check out the data on the last five Import Drafts.In 201922 of 28 players selected came to the OHL (79%)20 of 28 players selected lasted the entire OHL season with their clubs (71%)10 of 28 (open for debate) had a significant impact on their OHL teams (36%) In 202014 of 23 players selected came to the OHL (61%)11 of 23 players selected lasted the entire OHL season with their clubs (48%)7 of 23 (open for debate) had a significant impact on their OHL teams (30%) In 202117 of 27 players selected came to the OHL (63%)16 of 27 players selected lasted the entire OHL season with their clubs (59%)8 of 27 (open for debate) had a significant impact on their OHL teams (30%)In 202213 of 24 players selected came to the OHL (54%)9 of 24 players selected lasted the entire OHL season with their clubs (38%)6 of 24 (open for debate) had a significant impact on their OHL teams (25%)In 202318 of 28 players selected came to the OHL (64%)16 of 28 players selected lasted the entire OHL season with their clubs (57%)5 of 28 (open for debate) had a significant impact on their OHL teams (18%) As you can see, the number of import players that actually come over has dropped into that 60 percent range in recent years (compared to when it used to be 75%-80% or so). This trend was started because of the pandemic, but it has continued post pandemic. Part of it is the fact that the USHL and NCAA is stealing a considerable amount of the CHL’s thunder attracting top end European talent (especially netminders). And part of it is just the fact that European leagues have restructured their models to make sure younger players are being developed properly and afforded ice time. Will these numbers ever go back up to the 80+ percent that we used to see?  Of course this article wouldn’t have been possible without the help of these experts:Steven Graves (@German_Spitfire)Czech Prospects (@CZprospects)Matej Deraj (@MatoDeraj)Chapin Landvogt (@Csomichapin)Felix Robbins (@RVBScouting)McKeen’s Hockey (@mckeenshockey)Here are the reports:3. Windsor Spitfires – Ilya Protas – WingThe younger brother of Washington Capitals forward Alexei, Ilya was a third round selection of…you guessed it…the Washington Capitals. Alexei was a standout for Prince Albert, helping them win a WHL Championship and Ilya projects as a pretty similar player at the junior level. He performed well for Des Moines of the USHL last year and the transition to the OHL should be a pretty easy one for him. Report: Here’s what we wrote about Ilya in the McKeen’s 2024 NHL Draft Guide.”Quite frankly, they (Ilya and Alexei) are similar players. Ilya’s skating is a major weakness currently, just as it was for Alexei. He has, as they say, heavy boots. Ilya could also stand to use his large frame more consistently to be a more impactful player through the middle of the ice, which was a concern for Alexei too. However, Ilya also has Alexei’s playmaking chops and vision. He is an outstanding passer. He also protects the puck very well, making him a threat in transition despite being a very awkward and lumbering skater. If the profiles are similar and Alexei’s found success in the NHL, why are we lower on Ilya? We just haven’t seen the same kind of flashes of dominance from him that we saw from Alexei in his