NEWS
Historic! Six OEHV Talents Get Chance in North America
More Austrians than ever before are selected in the CHL Import Draft. One of them is even picked as the No. 2 overall selection.
Source text: © LAOLA1
Six young Austrians were selected in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, giving them the chance to play in Canada's top junior leagues starting next season.
The 17-year-old Paul Sintschnig was selected second overall by the Halifax Mooseheads. The QMJHL team makes the VSV forward the highest OEHV pick in the Import Draft since Gregor Baumgartner in 1996.
The Villach native played 34 games in the win2day ICE Hockey League last season and made his debut with the national ice hockey team at the Deutschland Cup in November 2025.
Sintschnig is considered one of Austria's brightest prospects and is eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft.
Another Villach Native to Halifax
The Mooseheads, where NHL stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Nico Hischier once developed, also selected defenseman Nico Uschan, who also plays for VSV, at the 81st position.
Both the 19-year-old and Sintschnig will make the jump to Halifax and participate in the training camp starting on August 19.
Salzburg Talent to Former McDavid Team
In addition to Sintschnig, Paul Schuster and Jonathan Oschgan were also selected in the first round of the draft.
Schuster is headed to the OHL's Erie Otters; Connor McDavid's former team selected him 19th overall.
The 16-year-old Viennese player has been in the Red Bull Salzburg youth system since 2023, scoring 16 points in 33 AlpsHL games for the Juniors last season. The right-shooting forward will also take the step to Canada.
Picked in a Pack of Three
Immediately after Schuster, Oschgan was picked by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL.
The 18-year-old forward from Black Wings Linz has completed his first professional year, scoring eight points in 32 games in the past win2day ICE Hockey League season.
Together with the younger brother of Sweden-based professional Benedikt Oschgan, Baie-Comeau also secured the rights to KAC forwards David Waschnig (#63) and Johannes Dobrovolny (#124).
While Oschgan will play in the QMJHL next season, a decision is still pending for Waschnig and Dobrovolny.
What is the CHL Import Draft?
The CHL Import Draft has existed since 1992. In this Canadian Hockey League entry draft, non-North American active players who are eligible to play in one of the three Canadian junior leagues are distributed among the teams of the WHL, QMJHL, and OHL.
The draft spans three rounds, and teams are allowed to have three import players on their roster. Each pick costs a team $2,000 US dollars and therefore carries a certain risk that needs to be assessed.
Players can also decide against signing and remain with their current clubs – as Marco Kasper, Luca Auer, and David Reinbacher did in 2022.
A total of 34 Austrians have now been selected in the Import Draft.
