KAMLOOPS — Today was the annual Canadian Hockey League import draft.
The 60 teams from the Western, Ontario and Quebec Leagues drafting non-North American players.
Every year the draft is filled with hits and misses.
Some of the noteable hits include Leon Draisaitl, Rudolfs Balcers, Tim Bozon and Juuso Puustinen.
The Blazers had the 56th overall pick — with eight teams ahead taking a pass, they actually selected 48th — and went to Sweden to pick defenseman Viktor Persson.
Persson scored 5 goals and 13 assists in 26 games in the Swedish SuperElite League last season.
“Viktor is a big defenseman, mobile skater, moves around really well.” says Blazers General Manager Matt Bardsley. “He’s the type of defenseman that we look for, how we want to play. He can join or lead the rush — has a good offensive upside —- real good in his own end as well. Can kind of play in all situations — power play, penalty kill, five on five. He gives us a little bit of an older defense — similar to that makeup as well last year. We have two younger players coming in this year with Mats Lindgren and Logan Bairos — so it will be good for them to be surrounded by some veteran guys.”
The last time the Blazers took an import draft from Sweden was in 2002 — and it was a hit —- Jonas Johannsen, who played in 98 games over two seasons, scoring 28 goals and 72 points and was a first round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche.
Johannsen was never the same hit in the NHL as he was with the Blazers — playing just one NHL game and the rest of his pro career in the minors and in Europe.
Viktor Persson, who doesn’t turn 19 until November, is NHL draft eligible this year.
He’s rated as the 44th best prospect among Europen skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Persson is expected to fill one of the Blazers two import spots in the 2020-21 season.
“Inaki Baragano is coming back, so that will give us two,.” says Matt Bardsley. “Libor Zabransky, who was our other import last season, is going to stay home (Czech Republic) and play pro. We were allowed to select one, so we do have two imports who are both defensemen. We’ll have Inaki and Viktor next season.
