Blazers opt for pair of 2001-born players in CHL Import Draft

The Blazers took Lang with their first pick at 14th overall. Lang, who’s still 16 years old, played last season with HC Plzen’s under-18 team, filling the net with 37 goals and adding 22 assists in 35 games.

Bardsley said he watched Lang at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Fort St. John last November.

“Martin was there with the Czech Republic team and I was quite impressed with Martin, just the way he plays,” Bardsley noted. “He plays with speed, he’s creative in traffic, he has a goal-scorers’ touch. But in the end, he plays the game the way we want our players to play. He can play with pace.”

With the team’s second pick, Kamloops went to the backend in selecting Sillanpaa, who played last season in his home country of Finland, suiting up with both the under-18 and under-20 HIFK teams out of Helsinki.

“He’s a player I wasn’t able to see live, but I had a good amount of video on him that I was able to watch, get some information. He comes from a real good program there at HIFK Helsinki. They do a good job there with their players. He’s a big, rangey defenseman that kind of does a little bit of everything. He has mobility, shows he has some good offensive instincts. He’s willing to jump into the play,” said Bardsley.

Bardsley said the Blazers want to build up the younger core of players, and the fact they’re both coming into the 17-year-old seasons has upside.

“Certainly when you get them younger, there might be a window there where you have them for a couple years, maybe even three seasons,” he noted. “They are going into their draft year next year. I think both these players are going to be players that are going to be in that mix as well, so I think it’s a good fit.”

by Chad Klassen

Blazers opt for pair of 2001-born players in CHL Import Draft

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