The Kitchener Rangers went in a different direction with their selections in the 2019 CHL Import Draft.
The team’s first-round pick was a young, 16-year-old Finnish defenceman; in Round 2, the Rangers selected a 19-year-old Swedish defenceman.
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The Rangers nabbed Ville Ottavainen of Karpat Oulu B with the 35th overall pick.
Ottavainen has scored nine goals and set up 25 others in 49 games. He was also a member of Finland’s under-17 national team.
With the 95th pick in the draft, Kitchener also nabbed Axel Bergkvist of Leksands IF. (The selection was actually made with the 72nd pick after other teams passed in the draft.)
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Bergkvist notched 12 goals and nine assists with Leksand’s IF J20 SuperElite club.
The 19-year-old was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes over the weekend in the NHL draft.