Good morning Attack. Greetings from the UK.
I have a keen interest on the Euros that play in the CHL, so wonder if you could help me out with some info....
Maxim Shushko; Has his time in the OHL expired, or will he be returning for this season?
What was he like?
I remember reading about his rookie campaign and seeing his numbers and thinking "wow!"
Did he tail off production wise in his next year, was he injured etc?
What about Popov?
Could you tell me a little about his game?
Could he break through this year?
Nizhnikov was/ is deemed a fantastic talent, with speed and skill.
In Barrie he was a bit too young, but did expect a better output in Sudbury.
2 years ago he was projected as a potential 1st rounder, before gradually disappearing off the radar.....
Anyone know what happened?
What are the OSA fans thoughts.
Have a great day everyone!
To answer your first question Sushko is NHL drafted by Philadelphia and because of the Canadian Hockey League's rules in co-operation with the NHL prospects. It's really up to the NHL team that picks them where they end up.
Sush is a decent import by like so many imports that come to play in North America he had ups and downs in his first season in the CHL. His second and even last season saw him jump up in a big way although with the age limitations in the CHL of how many players in each age bracket it can make managers have difficult decisions.
Each CHL team has to align with this specific age bracket.
20 or overage players (X3)
19 as many as you want to fit your 25 man roster
" same for 18's and 17's"
16 or underage players (X3)
Popov and Nizhnikov is an interesting thing as the same can be said for Chibrikov all three players have ties to Europe in some way but due to the the CHL's ruling that any European who plays a minimum 1 season in North America is deemed what we call a domestic player and doesn't count towards the CHL's 2 European player rule.
On top of that the CHL has deemed that any CHL team can draft/sign a European born goalie in the CHL import draft if they choose and will be awarded a 3rd selection as compensation for selected tender if they don't make the CHL club who picks them.
To answer your final question the players who come over from Europe can and has been well known for many, many years to have communicational boundaries in understanding what is expected of them as players in the CHL and being able to adapt to life in North America. This can pose a problems with kids as they try and learn and adapt to a new country and learn how to play what has been named the "North American game"
Hopefully this answered your questions and cleared up any confusion about the Canadian Hockey League.
