By Chris Brown

CHL rules Russian, Belarussian players ineligible for Import Draft

Apr 27, 2022 | 2:39 PM

The Canadian Hockey has announced that Russian and Belarussian players will not be eligible for selection in this summer’s CHL Import Draft due to the invasion of Ukraine.

The league confirmed the ban in a statement today.

The decision does not affect players that are currently on the protected list of any CHL team, such as Medicine Hat Tigers blueliner Gleb Ivanov, who remains eligible to play for the club next season.

The league says it remains committed to the safety, well-being, and the development of all of its players regardless of their country of origin.

The Import Draft is to be held on July 1. The CHL is the umbrella organization for the country’s three major junior hockey leagues — the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

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A total of 85 players were selected at the most recent import draft last June, including a high of 16 from Russia and 11 from Belarus.

Wednesday’s decision is the latest sanction against Russia and Belarus by the international hockey community.

Russian and Belarusian teams have been banned by the International Ice Hockey Federation from its events at all levels until further notice because of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The sport’s governing body also removed Russia as host of two major events in 2023 — the world junior championship and world men’s championship.

— with files from The Canadian Press