On Wednesday, the Oshawa Generals finalized their import roster for the 2025-26 season, signing their third-round pick from the 2025 CHL Import Draft.
The Generals organization announced that they have signed Russian forward Vadim Smirnov, who was drafted 163rd overall earlier this month in the import draft.
Earlier in July, Oshawa signed promising Finnish forward Onni Kalto and towering 6-foot-5 Russian goaltender Andrei Bondarev. With Smirnov signed, this establishes the club's import player roster for the upcoming season.
Oshawa Generals' "Crease Battle" Next Season Adds A Third Member; Russian Import Goaltender Signs With Team
The <a href="https://chl.ca/ohl-generals/">Oshawa Generals</a> haven’t had to worry about not knowing who their guy was in the crease when they needed a big win. A significant reason why the organization has advanced to consecutive OHL Finals is due to the goaltender they have had in the net, <a href="https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/535873/jacob-oster">Jacob Oster</a>.
Smirnov, 17, split time during the 2024-25 season in the Russia U17 and U18 leagues for the Dynamo Moskva organization.
In the U17 league, he recorded 40 points (23 goals, 17 assists) in 30 games. In the U18 league, he recorded 19 points (12 goals, 7 assists) in 18 games. Combined, he scored 35 goals in 48 games, showcasing his goal-scoring touch.
“We look forward to seeing Vadim add his skill set to our talented group of forwards. Another good skater that sees the ice well and has some flair to his game,” said Oshawa Generals GM Roger Hunt.
The Generals are losing a total of 96 goals and 240 points between forwards Calum Ritchie, Colby Barlow, Luke Torrance, Lauri Sinivuori, and Noah Powell.
Replacing that much production is going to be a massive challenge, but if Smirnov can at least replace the production lost from Finnish import Sinivuori, then that’s a win for the club. Smirnov is entering his NHL draft year as a 2008-born.
(Top photo credit: Tim Cornett/OHL Images)
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