The Prince George Cougars added playmaking and size to their roster in yesterday’s CHL Import Draft.
With the 23rd overall pick in the #CHLImportDraft, the @PGCougars have selected ?? forward Liekit Reichle. pic.twitter.com/G8AswleZY8
— The WHL (@TheWHL) June 30, 2021
Prince George started with the playmaking element by selecting Swiss forward Liekit Reichle 23rd overall. Reichle had 20 goals and 55 assists for the GCK Lions Zurich of the U20-elit in Switzerland. He also played five games with the U-18 Switzerland team this season and scored one goal
The 18-year-old Reichle is a 6-foot-1, 183-pound left shot right-winger. He is eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft.
“Reichle’s points speak for himself. He’s an offensive player who put up big numbers in Switzerland and has a great track record over in Europe,” said Cougars’ General Manager & Head Coach Mark Lamb in a press release.
With the 104th overall pick in the #CHLImportDraft, the @PGCougars have selected ?? defenceman Jozef Viliam Kmec. pic.twitter.com/6O6won6SFN
— The WHL (@TheWHL) June 30, 2021
The Cougars then added size with their second pick when they selected 6-foot-3, 198-pound Jozef Viliam Kmec from Slovakia 104th overall. The right-handed shooting defenceman had four assists in 27 games in Slovakia’s third-tier professional league last season. In 2019-2020, Kmec had eight goals, 27 assists, for 35 points for HC Kosice in the country’s U-18 League.
Lamb was also excited for this pick.
“He’s got great size and he’s a puck-mover. He’s a right-handed shot and that’s what we were looking for in this draft” Lamb told the Prince George Citizen.“We are really pleased to get him where we did with our second pick.”
Each CHL team is allowed to dress a maximum of two imports players each season.
Last season’s first CHL pick, Jonni Kärkkäinen, will remain in Finland for the 2021-2022 season.
