Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced on Wednesday the final results of the 2012 CHL Import Draft.

 

The 21^st annual CHL Import Draft had two rounds and included a total of 77 players selected from 11 different countries led by 20 from both the Czech Republic and Russia consisting of a total of 52 forwards, 17 defencemen, and 8 goaltenders.

 

The QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats acquired the first overall pick through a trade with the Sherbrooke Phoenix and selected Russian forward Ivan Barbashev, a 16-year-old eligible for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Barbashev scored five goals and three assists for eight points in six games at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge where he captained Team Russia to a gold medal victory. The WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders also selected a 16-year-old forward eligible for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft when they picked Leon Draisaitl from Germany with the second overall pick. Draisaitl also competed in the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge leading the ninth-place Germans in scoring with five points in five games. The OHL’s Erie Otters selected third overall and picked 18-year-old Swedish goaltender Oscar Dansk who was also a second round pick, 31^st overall, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Dansk backstopped Sweden to a silver medal at the 2012 IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship in April.

 

Dansk is one of 12 NHL-drafted players that were selected in the 2012 CHL Import Draft headlined by Tampa Bay Lightning first round pick goaltender Andrei Vasilevski selected 69^th overall by the Mississauga Steelheads. 2012 NHL Entry Draft second round pick Ludwig Bystrom (43^rd overall to the Dallas Stars) was selected 21^st overall by the Plymouth Whalers, and Teddy Blueger (52^nd overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins) was selected 48^th in the Import Draft by the Oshawa Generals. Columbus Blue Jackets third round pick Joonas Korpisalo was picked fifth overall by the Prince George Cougars, with fourth round picks Mikko Vainonen (Nashville Predators) picked sixth overall by the Kingston Frontenacs, Alexander Delnov (Florida Panthers) picked eighth overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds, and Nikolai Prokhorkin (Los Angeles Kings) selected 58^th overall by the London Knights. 2011 NHL Entry Draft second round picks Dmitri Jaskin (St. Louis Blues) was picked 22^nd overall by the Moncton Wildcats, and Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) was picked 43^rd overall by the Quebec Remparts after leading the 2011 SUBWAY Super Series in scoring with seven points in six games for Team Russia. Additional 2011 NHL-drafted players chosen in the Import Draft include Rasmus Bengtsson (Florida Panthers) who was selected 74^th overall by the Victoria Royals, and Simon Karlsson (Nashville Predators) selected 90^th overall by the Plymouth Whalers. 33 players picked in the 2012 CHL Import Draft are eligible for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, while eight are eligible in 2014.

 

Draft Picks by Position:

Forward – 52

Defence – 17

Goaltender – 8

 

Draft Picks by Country:

Czech Republic – 20

Russia – 20

Sweden – 8

Slovakia – 7

Finland – 6

Latvia - 5

Germany – 3

Switzerland – 3

Denmark – 2

Ukraine – 2

Slovenia - 1

 

Draft Picks by Birthdate and NHL Status:

1993-born and 2011 NHL Drafted – 4

1993-born and 2011 NHL Undrafted - 5

Late 1993-born and 2012 NHL Drafted – 1

Late 1993-born and 2012 NHL Undrafted – 4

1994-born and 2012 NHL Drafted – 8

1994-born and 2012 NHL Undrafted - 14

Late 1994-born and 2013 NHL Draft Eligible – 5

1995-born and 2013 NHL Draft Eligible – 28

Late 1995-born and 2014 NHL Draft Eligible - 8

 

Each team in the CHL is permitted to carry two European Import players each season. These players are selected annually at the Import Draft, with the order of selection rotating through each of the three leagues in the CHL using an inverse order of their final regular season standings from the 2011-12 season.

 

Last season the London Knights used the first overall pick to select defenceman Olli Maatta who was recently chosen 22^nd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Maatta was one of 11 current CHL import players selected in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft including four in the first round headlined by Nail Yakupov who was selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers after being the second overall selection of the Sarnia Sting in the 2010 CHL Import Draft. Other import players selected in the first round include Mikhail Grigorenko of the Quebec Remparts picked at number 12 to the Buffalo Sabres, followed closely by Radek Faksa of the Kitchener Rangers who went at 13 to the Dallas Stars. Grigorenko was chosen second overall by the Remparts last season, with Faksa picked at number 22 by the Rangers the same season.