The 2024 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft is in the books, with 82 of 120 potential picks made by the 60 member clubs. Overall, there were players of 11 different nationalities picked, led by 23 Czechs. There were also Finns, Russians, Slovaks, Swedes, Swiss, Germans, Latvians and one player each from Belarus, Kazakhstan and Denmark.

There were actually two Danish-born players chosen, and one was perhaps the most interesting pick of the draft. Aron Kiviharju, a defenseman who was born in Denmark but plays internationally for Finland, was taken by the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats in the second round. Kiviharju was a highly-ranked prospect until a horrible ACL injury reduced him to just seven regular-season games in 2023-24 with IFK Helsinki in Finland’s Liiga. That caused him to fall to the fourth round in the NHL Entry Draft, where he was taken by the Minnesota Wild. It seems likely that Kiviharju will try to get in a full pro season at home, but perhaps Moncton thought it was worth taking the risk with their second pick.

Russian right winger Matvei Gridin was the first player chosen by the QMJHL’s Val d’Or Foreurs. He was also chosen in the NHL Entry Draft last weekend 28th overall by the Calgary Flames. Originally from Russia, 18-year-old Gridin has spent the past two seasons playing for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks and has committed to playing for the University of Michigan in 2024-25.

Czech forward Vít Záhejský was chosen second by the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. Just 16 years old, Záhejský still has three years of junior eligibility left, so he seems like a safe pick. Despite his age, he played two professional Extraliga games for Energie Karlovy Vary last season.

The third pick was 17-year-old Belarusian left winger Ilya Protas by the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. Like Gridin, Protas played in the USHL last season, recording 51 points in 61 games for the Des Moines Buccaneers. Less than two weeks from his 18th birthday, Protas was a third-round pick by the Washington Capitals in this year’s NHL Draft.

The fourth pick was 16-year-old Slovak center Andreas Straka by the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts. A junior player for HK Poprad, Straka – like Záhejský – already has a little taste of pro hockey, playing one game in the Slovak Extraliga this past season. He had three points in seven games for Slovakia at the IIHF U18 World Championship.