A pair of 18-year-old Czech forwards were the first two picks of the 2025 CHL Import Draft on Wednesday. They were part of a record 35 Czechs taken overall.

Left winger Tomáš Poletín, a Prague native who has spent the past two seasons in Finland playing for the Lahti Pelicans U-18 and U-20 teams, was taken first by the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. In this year's NHL Entry Draft, Poletín was taken in the fourth round, 106th overall, by the New York Islanders.

Center Adam Benák, a Plzeň native who spent last season playing for the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms, was chosen second by the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs. Benák was a fourth round pick of the Minnesota Wild.

Both players already have a bit of pro experience in top European national leagues. Poletín played 23 Liiga games for the Pelicans last season, scoring once in a relegation series, while Benák played 18 Czech Extraliga games for Škoda Plzeň two seasons ago, recording two assists. Both players were members of the Czech U-18 national team last season that played in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the IIHF U-18 World Championship.

With 21 points in 10 games over the last two seasons, Benák is the Hlinka Gretzky Cup’s all-time scoring leader.

Hlinka Gretzky Cup points record means nothing to Adam Benák without the win Following a five-point performance in Czechia’s second game against Germany, Adam Benák was already the Hlinka Gretzky Cup’s all-time scoring leader. Since then, he’s tacked on three more points to give him 20 in nine total games. Still, he doesn’t have a Hlinka Gretzky Cup title.

Here are the top 10 picks of the draft:

1. Kelowna Rockets: Tomáš Poletín, LW, Lahti, FIN (Czechia) – New York Islanders
2. Brantford Bulldogs: Adam Benák, C, Youngstown, USHL (Czechia) – Minnesota Wild
3. VIctoriaville Tigres: Yegor Shilov, C, Long Island, USA (Russia)
4. Regina Pats: Michal Prádel, G, Tri-City, USHL (Czechia) – Detroit Red Wings
5. Flint Firebirds: Darels Uljanskis, D, AIK Stockholm (Sweden)
6. Saint John Sea Dogs: Olivers Murnieks, C, Sioux City (USHL)
7. Kelowna Rockets: Daniel Pekař, LW, Liberec (Czechia)
8. Ottawa 67’s: Ondřej Ruml, D, Pardubice (Czechia)
9. Halifax Mooseheads: Oleg Kulebjakin, LW, Lincoln (USA)
10. Wenatchee Wild: Tobiáš Tvrzník, G, Sparta Prague (Czechia)

Ruml, the No. 8 pick, was born in 2008 and is eligible to play for Czechia in this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as is No. 11 pick Šimon Katolický, who was chosen by the Sarnia Sting.

Venues, Schedule For 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup The Czech Ice Hockey Association and Hockey Slovakia jointly announced this week the <a href="https://hlinkagretzkycup.cz/eng/zapasy.asp">schedule for the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup</a> – an annual summer tournament for players entering their final U18 season.

In addition to a record number of Czechs, there were also a record 28 Russians taken. Latvia, Kazakhstan and Lithuania also set new records for selections, Germany equaled its all-time high, and in the third round, Brantford selected Alexander Karmanov, the first-ever player from Moldova taken in the CHL Import Draft.

A total of 142 players from 18 countries were chosen in the draft. Both numbers represent a significant jump from last year, when 82 players from 11 countries were chosen. Click here for the complete list of this year’s picks.

From CHL.ca, here are some other facts about the draft:

Draft Picks by Position: 
Forwards – 86
Defensemen – 39
Goaltenders –17

Draft Picks by Country:

Czechia – 35 (record-high), Russia – 28 (record-high), Slovakia – 14, Finland – 11 (tied for the third-most), Sweden – 9 (most since 2015), Germany – 8 (matches record-high set in 2021), Latvia – 7 (record-high), Switzerland – 7, Belarus – 7, Kazakhstan – 3 (record-high), Ukraine – 3 (most since 2002), Norway – 2, Denmark – 2, Lithuania – 2 (record-high), Moldova – 1 (first-ever pick from this country), Austria – 1, Italy – 1, Hungary – 1 (first since 2010).

Photo © OIS/Joel Marklund-Imagn Images.

Aron Kiviharju among 82 players from 11 countries chosen in CHL Import Draft The <a href="https://chl.ca/draft/chl/2024/">2024 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft</a> 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.