The Prince George Cougars picked late in the first round of Wednesday's Canadian Hockey League import draft but added a player they see as having a chance to be a regular contributor next WHL season.
The Cougars, with the 54th selection, chose forward Vladislav Mikhalchuk, who skated in the Belarus Under-18 program last season and also got his feet wet with the country's Under-20 team. Internationally, he played one game in the World Under-18 championship and was part of the Belarus National Under-17 squad that claimed gold at the 2017 Mac's midget tournament in Calgary. There, he had six goals and three assists in seven games, one of those contests a 5-4 overtime win against the Cariboo Cougars in the playoff semifinal round. Trevor Sprague, Cariboo head coach during the Mac's, doubles as a scout for the WHL Cougars.
"Vladislav Mikhalchuk is the type of player that you notice every time he takes the ice," said Cougars general manager Todd Harkins. "He was dominant at the Mac's tournament, is comfortable playing against much older competition and I have no doubt that his skill, speed and physicality are all going to translate well to the North American game. He's very dynamic, he makes skilled plays with the puck and his hockey sense is off the charts."
Mikhalchuk stands six-foot-two and weighs 172 pounds. In the Belarus Under-18 program, he registered 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 31 games. In 13 appearances with the Under-20 club, he had four helpers.
Mikhalchuk is a 1999-born player, which also made him a good fit for the Cougars.
"Heading into this draft we wanted to add to our 1999-born group and we are confident that he will slide into our lineup and contribute in a number of key areas for us," Harkins said. "Heading into his (NHL) draft year he's going to be extremely motivated to come to Prince George and play well in order to prove to NHL scouts that he's a legitimate NHL prospect."
As per WHL rules, the Cougars are allowed to carry two imports on their active roster. Including Mikhalchuk, they now have three on the team, the others being forwards Nikita Popugaev (Russia) and Radovan Bondra (Slovakia). Popugaev is a New Jersey Devils prospect after the Devils chose him in the fourth round (98th overall) in last weekend's NHL draft, while the 20-year-old Bondra is property of the Chicago Blackhawks, who took him in the fifth round (151st overall) in 2015. According to agent Mike Liut, Popugaev will be back in junior hockey this coming season so the Cougars will have to make a decision regarding the three players.
As well as filling an import slot, Bondra is an overager. The deadline for teams to get down to three overagers is Oct. 15.
The Cougars passed on their second-round pick in the import draft.
The Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League had the first-overall selection and chose Russian right winger Andrei Svechnikov, whose most recent team was Muskegon of the USHL.
The CHL has a total of 60 teams.
