The OHL’s Erie Otters selected Swedish goaltender Noah Erliden with the 30th overall pick in Wednesday’s CHL Import Draft. Now Swedish website HockeyNews.se is reporting that Erliden has left his Swedish club HV71 and intends to play next season in North America, with Erie, Pennsylvania being the most likely destination.

“Noah is a top-tier goalie, and we are extremely excited to add him to our organization,” said Erie GM Dave Brown. “Noah boasts extensive international experience handling high-pressure situations, and ranks among the elite goalies, as demonstrated by his achievements at global events. We look forward to working with Noah and welcoming him to the Otters family.”

Erliden, who turns 19 in September, is from Jönköping in southern Sweden and has played virtually all of his organized hockey with that city’s club, HV71. He played most of last season with the club’s U20 team in Sweden’s top junior league, posting a 2.88 goals-against average, .902 save percentage and two shutouts in 24 games. He was also loaned to second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan team Nybro Vikings IF, where he had a tough outing in his professional debut, allowing six goals on 20 shots.

Internationally, Erliden had an excellent U18 IIHF World Championship in 2023, where he was named the tournament’s Best Goalkeeper as he backstopped Sweden to a silver medal.