WHL teams selected 23 players during the 2022 CHL Import Draft, although the Prince Albert Raiders weren’t among them.

The Prince Albert Raiders passed on both selections this year, as did the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Winnipeg Ice. The two-round draft took place online with the order of selection rotating through each of the CHL’s three leagues.

The Medicine Hat Tigers held the top selection in the annual international draft, using the first-overall pick to claim Slovak forward Adam Sykora of HK Nitra.

The 5-foot-10, 172-pound forward is ranked 42nd among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft. In 46 games with HK Nitra, Sykora collected 17 points (10G-7A). He also represented Slovakia at the 2022 IIHF World Hockey Championships, tallying three points (2G-1A) in six games.

Sykora’s father, Roman, played in the WHL, appearing with the Tri-City Americans during the 1997-98 season.

Russian and Belarusian players were not eligible for selection in the 2022 Import Draft following a CHL ruling. However, current Belarusian and Russian players were grandfathered in, meaning the Prince Albert Raiders did not have to part with imports Tikhon Chaika and Vladislav Shilo.

CHL clubs are only allowed to dress two imports in one game.