By Sheldon Spackman

Rebels select Russian and Belarusian in CHL Import Draft

Jun 28, 2018 | 10:37 AM

The Red Deer Rebels have selected a Russian and a Belarusian in Thursday’s Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.

Picking 17th and 77th overall in the two-round draft, the Rebels first chose 17-year-old centre Oleg Zaitsev from the Moscow Dynamo.

The 6’1″, 185 pound Russian shoots left and played 48 games for the Dynamo in the Russian Junior League last season.

In addition, Zaitsev scored eight goals and added 19 assists for 27 points in 2017-2018, including five power play goals and one short-handed effort.

Later on, with their second and final pick, 77th overall in Thursday’s CHL Import Draft, the Rebels chose 18-year-old Ivan Drozdov.

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The 6-foot, 174 pound right winger from Belarus shoots left and played for his country at the 2018 World Juniors, scoring twice and picking up one assist for three points in six games with the national team.

In addition, Drozdov played 18 games for Yunost Minsk in the Belarus Junior league last season and eight with the Belarus U20 team, scoring seven goals with seven assists for 14 points.

Thursday’s two-round CHL Import Draft took place online with the order of selection rotating through each of the CHL’s three leagues using an inverse order of final regular season standings within each league from the 2017-18 season.

CHL officials say each team is permitted to dress and play a maximum of two import players each season who are selected annually through the CHL Import Draft.

The Rebels still have Russian defenceman Alexander Alexeyev on their roster. But because he was a first round selection in this month’s NHL Draft the Rebels were allowed a second CHL Import Draft selection, giving them options in the event Alexeyev plays in the NHL next season.

Czech forward Kristian Reichel is not expected to return to the Rebels for the 2018-19 season.

Also of note, for the first time since 2013, goaltenders were eligible for selection in the CHL Import Draft.