Pats, Blades each take two players in CHL import draft

The Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades added some European flavour to their rosters Wednesday.

Each of the WHL teams took two players in the CHL import draft.

The Pats selected Finnish forward Joakim Kemell with the 32nd pick overall and Russian-born forward Alexander Suzdalev 95th overall.

The Blades selected a pair of wingers with their selections, picking Yegor Sidorov of Belarus at No. 8 overall and Moritz Elias of Germany with the 107th pick.

Kemell, 17, had 22 goals and 14 assists in 38 games with JYP Jyväskylä in Finland’s top under-20 league last season.

The 5-foot-11 forward has represented his home country in numerous tournaments, including the IIHF under-18 world championship in Texas — a tournament at which Pats phenom Connor Bedard starred.

Kemell is eligible for the 2022 NHL entry draft.

Suzdalev, 17, is a 6-foot-2 forward who had three goals and six assists in 13 games with HV71 in Sweden’s top under-20 league last season.

Suzdalev skated with Bedard last fall while he was training in Sweden ahead of the 2020-21 WHL season.

Sidorov, 17, is a 5-foot-10, 154-pounder who represented Belarus at the 2021 under-18 world championship. He finished tied for second in team scoring with five assists in five games.

The 17-year-old Elias is listed at 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds. He spent much of last season in Germany’s top professional league, picking up two points in 16 games with the DEL’s Nurnberg Ice Tigers.