CHL Import Draft gets underway this morning, Tigers first pick at 60

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on July 2, 2025.

sports@medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

With the CHL Import Draft today, the Medicine Hat Tigers will look to replicate the success they had at last year’s draft.

The CHL’s Import Draft gets underway this morning at 9 a.m. MST, with the Tigers holding the 60th, 121st and 182nd overall picks in the draft. With the implementation of a third import slot for CHL teams, the Tigers will select at least one player in the draft.

The Tigers bolstered their blue line last year with a pair of selections in the 2024 Import draft, selecting Finnish defencemen Niilopekka Muhonen 47th and Veeti Väisänen 107th.

Muhonen played 60 games in his rookie season in the WHL with four goals and 17 points. He had three assists in 18 playoff games, scoring in Game 5 of the WHL Championship series at Spokane against the Chiefs.

Väisänen had four goals and 24 points in 58 games, also playing for Finland at the World Juniors in December. He had a goal and five points in 18 playoff games.

Muhonen signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars on Monday. The Stars selected the 19-year-old in the fifth round, 158th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.

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