With the eighth overall pick in the 2021 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft, the Vancouver Giants have selected 2002-born Swedish goaltender Jesper Vikman.
Hailing from Stockholm, Vikman was selected by the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL draft but not signed.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Vancouver Giants to pick 11th in first round of 2021 player draft
The 6’3″, 179-pound left-catching goaltender appeared in 22 combined games with AIK J20 (J20 Nationell), AIK (HockeyAllsvenskan) and Tyresö/Hanviken (HockeyEttan) last season in Sweden.
He finished with a 10-10 record and one shutout.
Since 2018-19, Vikman has appeared in three international games for Sweden (U18 and U17) and was 2-1.
He becomes the third Swedish-born player ever selected by the Giants in the CHL draft, joining Casper Carning (2010) and Fabian Lysell (2020).
He’s also the third goaltender ever selected by the Giants in the import draft, joining Jonathan Iilahti (Finland, 2011) and Marek Schwarz (Czech Republic, 2004).
Giants said they would not be making a second selection in Wednesday’s CHL Import Draft.
You can follow along with the entire draft right here.
Canadian Hockey League is the world’s largest development hockey league with 52 Canadian and eight American teams participating in the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
READ ALSO: New addition to Langley Thunder has the genetics to excel at lacrosse, coach says
Have a story tip? Email: news@langleyadvancetimes.com
