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Winnipeg Free Press
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Top 2026 NHL draft prospect Gavin McKenna says he's committing to Penn State
Gavin McKenna said he is committing to Penn State, leaving the Canadian Hockey League for the U.S. college ranks in a long-anticipated decision by one of the sport's most anticipated prospects since Connor McDavid. McKenna's jump highlights how much the junior developmental hockey landscape has changed in North America since the NCAA's landmark decision in November to lift its ban on CHL player participation. After word of McKenna's destination leaked Monday, he made the announcement on 'SportsCenter' on Tuesday. It coincidentally came 15 years to the day of 'The Decision' when LeBron James revealed on ESPN he was leaving Cleveland for Miami. 'It was a super tough decision,' McKenna said, before putting on a Penn State hat. McKenna, who doesn't turn 18 until December, is regarded a generational talent and has for the past two years been projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL draft. ___ AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed. ___ AP college sports:
Toronto Sun
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Brantford picks 7-foot, 273-pound defenceman in CHL import draft
Published Jul 02, 2025 • 1 minute read FILE - A Canadian Hockey League logo is shown on a jersey during the CHL Top Prospects hockey game in Moncton, New Brunswick, Jan. 24, 2024. Photo by Darren Calabrese / AP BRANTFORD — The Brantford Bulldogs selected 7-foot, 273-pound defenceman Alexander Karmanov with the 172nd pick in the Canadian Hockey League import draft on Wednesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Ontario Hockey League club in a social media post announcing the choice called the 17-year-old the 'largest hockey player on the planet.' Karmanov would be the tallest junior player in the CHL, and, according to Elite Prospects, he is the tallest active registered hockey player in the world. Recently elected Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara at 6-foot-9 is the tallest player in NHL history. New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe, also listed at 6-9, is the tallest currently in the league. Karmanov, who would also be the first player to make the CHL from Moldova, played last season for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and had 34 points in 36 games at multiple levels of their program. Last summer, at age 16, he committed to play college hockey at Penn State in 2027. Read More Sports News Money News MLB Relationships
Ottawa Citizen
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
North Bay Battalion hope to strike gold with two new CHL Import Draft picks
The North Bay Battalion chose a Russian player and a player from Belarus in the new-look Canadian Hockey League Import Draft held on Wednesday. Article content North Bay already has Ihnat Pazii returning, so they had two slots to fill and made a pair of picks. Article content Article content Article content At pick 78 North Bay selected Arseny Pronin who hails from Belarus. Pronin is a right winger who was born in 2007. Winstanley had an interesting reaction when asked about this prospect. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Winstanley knows the players drafted this year are coming to play and to be regular contributors. Article content 'If you are going to spend the time and money to being them over here the goal is to help them achieve their goals. To do that we have to put them in spots where they can be successful. With our core and who we have coming back, we set up well to insulate players moving to a new country and learning a new language. They will also have to acclimate to a new league, new ice surface and a new country,' says Winstanley. Article content
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brantford picks 7-foot, 273-pound defenseman in the Canadian Hockey League import draft
FILE - A Canadian Hockey League logo is shown on a jersey during the CHL Top Prospects hockey game in Moncton, New Brunswick, Jan. 24, 2024. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press via AP, File) BRANTFORD, Ontario (AP) — The Brantford Bulldogs selected 7-foot-tall, 273-pound defenseman Alexander Karmanov with the 172nd pick in the Canadian Hockey League import draft on Wednesday. The Ontario Hockey League club in a social media post announcing the choice called the 17-year-old the 'largest hockey player on the planet.' Karmanov would be the tallest junior player in the CHL, and, according to Elite Prospects, he is the tallest active registered hockey player in the world. Advertisement Recently elected Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara at 6-foot-9 is the tallest player in NHL history. New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe, also listed at 6-9, is the tallest currently in the league. Karmanov, who would also be the first player to make the CHL from Moldova, played last season for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and had 34 points in 36 games at multiple levels of their program. Last summer, at age 16, he committed to play college hockey at Penn State in 2027. ___ AP NHL:
Ottawa Citizen
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
CHL Import Draft offers more picks, more choice in 2025
One of the more challenging, but potentially rewarding means of adding high-end players to a junior roster, the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft has the potential to be even more impactful in 2025. Article content A landmark decision by the NCAA last fall to allow U.S. college-bound players to sign in the OHL and its partner leagues has not only opened up a new recruiting stream on the domestic front, but also among players from overseas who wish to keep their options open — including several who may hear their names called in the upcoming import draft on Wednesday. Article content Article content Start time for the draft is 11 a.m. Article content Article content In a bid to help member clubs tap into more of that talent, the CHL expanded the draft from two to three rounds this year, with teams also now permitted to carry three imports on their rosters. They're also able to trade import picks for the first time since the practice was banned in 2013, with all trades to be finalized by this coming Monday. Article content The Sudbury Wolves are set to draft 29th, 90th and 151st overall on Wednesday, but will likely see those picks bumped up as clubs with returning imports pass on their selections. Article content With Slovak forward Ondrej Molnar set to return home and join the professional ranks, Sudbury has no signed imports for 2025-26, but general manager Rob Papineau couldn't confirm earlier this week if the team would use all three selections as talks continued with previously drafted players such as forward Jan Chovan, who is expected to be a pick in the NHL Entry Draft this weekend. Article content Article content Papineau said the Wolves have identified their target in the first round and hope that player will still be available at No. 29. Article content 'We've got a player in mind who we think would be a good fit for us,' he told The Sudbury Star. 'We won't really get into anything beyond that, but it's a draft and sometimes, that player is there when you go to pick and sometimes, somebody who doesn't necessarily have a lot of information might step up and make a pick in front of you. That has happened in the past and we expect some of that will happen next week.' Article content Having already seen the Kelowna Rockets and the Brantford Bulldogs acquire the first- and second-overall picks, respectively, Papineau said it would have to be a good fit for the Wolves to consider trading up themselves. Article content 'It would have to make sense,' Sudbury's GM said. 'We'll listen to everything, but at the end of the day, the price is pretty heavy to move up a few spots and this draft is pretty unique. We got Dalibor Dvorsky in the second round, so moving up didn't necessarily matter in that situation. There are some players who indicate they're not coming to North America and then sometimes, they change their mind and they do. Some of them have a preference for what league they want to play in.
