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    A Debriefing Of The QMJHL At The 2025 Import Draft

    Jacob Titus
    Jul 2, 2025, 20:02
    Jacob Titus
    Jul 2, 2025, 20:02

    The 2025 CHL import draft has concluded with 42 players gaining QMJHL affiliation. Here's a quick debrief of what happened.

    USHL to CHL pipeline?

    One of the many criticisms of the November ruling allowing CHL-bound prospects to commit to NCAA Division-I programs, was the fear of early departures and further talent bleed from the CHL.

    Historically, the CHL has been the pinnacle major junior circuit, with American players such as Hall of Famers Jeremy Roenick and Pat Lafontaine getting their start in the 'Q'. However, with the rise of the USHL and collegiate hockey, Americans and even import talent have begun to choose the collegiate path in seeking the optimal route for development.

    Well, this past import draft might have signaled a change in approach as 20 European USHL players were selected in the 2025 draft, including second overall pick and Minnesota Wild prospect Adam Benak to Brantford (OHL), third overall pick Yegor Shilov to Victoriaville (QMJHL) and fourth overall pick and Detroit Red Wings prospect Michal Pradel to Regina (WHL).

    Red wave

    Another note of the CHL import draft was the sheer amount of Russian and Belarussian players selected.

    Last year, the ban on Russian and Belarussian imports due to the war in Ukraine was lifted just ahead of the draft, and as such only nine Russians and one Belarussian were selected, or 14.63 per cent.

    This year, 28 Russian players and seven Belarussian players were taken in the draft, accounting for 24.64 per cent of the draft.

    This marks is the highest saturation of Russian and Belarussian players in the CHL import draft since 2021, where 32.14 per cent of the class was from either nation.

    Rule changes

    Another storyline from this year's draft were the rule changes the addition of an extra import slot for the first time in the draft's entire existence. All-in-all, 142 players were drafted today.

    Further thanks to this rule change, for the first time since 2008, no pick was forfeited in the first round.

    Transfers

    Despite the all-time high import draft selections, there was only one inter-CHL transfer -- that being Russian forward Gleb Semyonov. Semenov was a 118th overall selection by the London Knights in the 2024 CHL import draft, signing with the team that August. However, the forward would get cut before he touched the ice for regular season action.

    Semenov would bounce around to the USHL, and play with the Omaha Lancers before joining the WHL's Red Deer Rebels where he would tally seven points (2+5) through 25 games. 

    The Rebels would lapse his rights ahead of the Import draft, opting to select Slovakian defenseman Matus Lisy at 80th, and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar would give him another chance, taking him with the 97th overall pick.

    QMJHL puck (Photo: Trevor MacMillan)

    First Round

    3. VIC | C Yegor Shilov (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • USHL (Green Bay): 39 GP, 11 G, 17 A, 28 PTS
    • Committed to the Boston University (26/27)

    6. SNB | C Olivers Murnieks (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • USHL (Sioux City): 52 GP, 15 G, 20 A, 35 PTS

    9. HFX | RW Oleg Kulebyakin (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • USHL (Lincoln): 6 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS
    • USA 16U AAA: 33 GP, 33 G, 39 A, 72 PTS

    12. VIC | LW Alexei Vlasov (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • USHL (Sioux Falls): 51 GP, 11 G, 12 A, 23 PTS
    • Committed to the University of Connecticut (27/28)

    15. QUE | LW Nikita Ovcharov (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • MHL: 25 GP, 5 G, 5 A, 10 PTS

    18. CHI | LW Maxim Schafer (Washington Capitals)

    • DEL: 31 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS
    • DNL U20: 15 GP, 12 G, 23 A, 35 PTS

    21. CHA | C Ivan Ryabkin (Carolina Hurricanes)

    • USHL (Muskegon): 27 GP, 19 G, 11 A, 30 PTS
    • MHL: 15 GP, 1 G, 11 A, 12 PTS
    • VHL: 8 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS
    • KHL (Dynamo Moskow): 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS

    24. NFL | LW Marek Danicek (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+2)

    • Extraliga (Sparta Praha): 11 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS
    • CZE U20: 41 GP, 26 G, 38 A, 64 PTS

    27. SHE | F Ilya Kolmakov (2027 NHL draft eligible)

    • USA 16U AAA: 63 GP, 53 G, 104 A, 157 PTS
    • USHL (Fargo); 1 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS

    30. CBE | C Maxime Sauthier (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • SUI U20: 42 GP, 11 G, 16 A, 27 PTS

    33. BLB | G Arseni Radkov (Montreal Canadiens)

    • MHL: 19 GP, .918 sv%, 3.18 GAA

    36. BAC | F Jacopo De Luca (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+1)

    • SUI U20: 44 GP, 10 G, 19 A, 29 PTS

    39. ROU | D Guus van der Kaalj (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+1)

    • SUI U20: 33 GP, 3 G, 13 A, 16 PTS
    • SL: 11 GP, 0 G. 2 A, 2 PTS
    • NL (HC Davos): 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A

    42. CHI | LW Anton Linde (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+2)

    • J20 NAT: 23 GP, 7 G, 6 A, 13 PTS
    • SHL (Vaxjo Lakers): 13 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 PT
    • Metal Ligaen: 8 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 PT

    45. SHA | F Elias Schneider (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+1)

    • DEL: 13 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS
    • DNL U20: 31 GP, 33 G, 31 A, 64 PTS

    48. DRU | G Jan Larys (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • CZE U20: 14 GP, .917 sv%, 3.17 GAA
    • CZE U17: 15 GP, .927 sv%, 2.64 GAA

    51. RIM | F Dovydas Jukna (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+1)

    • SUI U20: 45 GP, 20 G, 15 A, 35 PTS

    54. MON | D Eerik Wallenius (Ottawa Senators)

    • U20 SM: 39 GP, 4 G, 18 A, 22 PTS
    • Liiga (HPK): 5 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS

    Second Round

    64. GAT | Danai Shaiikov (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+1)

    • MHL: 5 GP, .921 sv%, 1.62 GAA
    • RUS U18: 15 GP, .927 sv%, 2.04 GAA

    67. SNB | D Patryk Zubek (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+1)

    • SVK-2: 22 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 PTS
    • SVK U20: 16 GP, 5 G, 15 A, 20 PTS
    • Slovakia (HC Banska Bystrica): 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS

     70. HFX | F Jasu Mensonen (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+1)

    • U20 SM: 40 GP, 5 G, 21 A, 26 PTS

     73. GAT | F Lev Gaponov (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • NMHL: 15 GP, 6 G, 4 A, 10 PTS

     76. QUE | F Vladimir Karabayev (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • Belarus2: 51 GP, 21 G, 11 A, 32 PTS

     79. MON | D Carl-Otto Magnusson (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+2)

    • J20 NAT: 44 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 PTS
    • SHL (Frolunda HC): 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS

    82. CHA | F Juraj Jonas Durco (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • SVK U20: 28 GP, 12 G, 14 A, 26 PTS
    • SVK-2: 13 GP, 3 G, 2 A, 5 PTS
    • Slovakia (HK Dukla Trecin): 9 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 PT

    85. NFL | F Alexei Zhukov (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • USA 16U AAA: 61 GP, 37 G, 42 A, 79 PTS
    • USHL (Fargo): 1 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 PT
    • Committed to Providence College (26/27)

    88. SHE | F Martins Klaucans (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • NAHL: 46 GP, 5 G, 8 A, 13 PTS

    91. CBE | F Adam Klaus (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • SUI U20: 46 GP, 16 G, 19 A, 35 PTS

    94. BLB | F Torkel Jennersjo (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • USHL (Dubuque): 50 GP, 12 G, 7 A, 19 PTS

    97. BAC | C Gleb Semenov (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • WHL (Red Deer): 25 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 PTS
    • USHL (Omaha): 11 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS

    100. ROU | F Vladislav Murzov (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • Belarus2: 44 GP, 35 G, 23 A, 58 PTS
    • Belarus: 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS

    103. VIC | F Ignati Shumilin (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • RUS U18: 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS

    106. SHA | F Christian Furuvik (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • J20 NAT: 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS
    • J18 NAT: 18 G, 5 G, 6 A, 11 PTS

    109. DRU | D Filip Kovalcik (2027 NHL draft eligible

    • SVK U20: 37 GP, 1 G, 12 A, 13 PTS
    • SVK-2: 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS

    112. RIM | LW Raphael Achermann (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • SUI U20: 43 GP, 12 G, 13 A, 25 PTS

    115. VDO | F Vitali Korolyuk (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+2)

    • MHL: 47 GP, 12 G, 17 A, 29 PTS

    Third Round

    125. VDO | D Ivan Stefanishin (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+1)

    • MHL: 42 GP, 2 G, 14 A, 16 PTS
    • KHL (SKA St. Petersburg): 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS

    128. SNB | D Max Vilen (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+2)

    • J20 NAT: 36 GP, 4 G, 15 A, 19 PTS

    137. RIM | D Luca Nappiot (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+1)

    • SUI U20: 42 GP, 6 G, 18 A, 24 PTS
    • SL: 13 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS

    140. MON | LW Kuzma Voronin (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+2)

    • USHL (Youngstown/Fargo): 49 GP, 10 G, 18 A, 26 PTS
    • Committed to the University of Maine (25/26)

    149. SHE | D Reinis Auzins (2026 NHL draft eligible/D+1)

    • U18 SM: 30 GP, 5 G, 15 A, 20 PTS

    158. BAC | F Filip Vik (2026 NHL draft eligible)

    • CZE U17: 31 GP, 18 G, 20 A, 38 PTS

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