Three players with Chilliwack Chiefs connections were selected in last weekend’s National Hockey League draft.
Seven rounds were held Friday and Saturday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
Defenceman Cooper Moore, who will join the Chiefs this fall, was first off the board.
The Detroit Red Wings called his name in the fifth round, 128th overall, raising the possibility that Moore may one day share the Detroit blueline with another Chiefs alum.
Dennis Cholowski was picked in the first round of the 2016 draft by the Red Wings and just finished his rookie season in the big league, collecting seven goals and 16 points in 52 games.
Harrison Blaisdell came off the board next.
Another fifth round selection, the Regina native was tabbed 134th overall by the Winnipeg Jets.
Blaisdell spent the previous two seasons in Chilliwack and is heading to the University of North Dakota this fall. He collected 35 goals and 63 points in 62 regular season and playoff games in 2018-19.
The teenager is trying to follow in the footsteps of his father, Mike Blaisdell, who was a first round pick of Detroit in 1980 and went on to play 349 games in the NHL.
Forward Nikita Nesterenko, who will join Chilliwack this fall, was selected in the sixth round, 172nd overall by the Minnesota Wild.
Another member of last year’s Chiefs squad, forward Kevin Wall, heard his name called in the sixth round.
The Connecticut kid was picked 181st overall by the Carolina Hurricanes.
One future Chief who hoped to be drafted wasn’t.
Forward Arlo Merritt was ranked 144th overall by Central Scouting, which gave him a coin-flip chance of being a late round selection.
The top BCHLer in the draft was Victoria Grizzlies alum Alex Newhook, grabbed by the Colorado Avalanche with the 16th pick of the first round.
Newhook’s teammate, forward Gregory Campbell, went in the third round, 65th overall, to the Nashville Predators.
Prince George Spruce Kings grad Layton Ahac, a defenceman, went 21 picks later (No. 86) the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Blueliner Carter Berger (Victoria) was nabbed in the fourth round, 106th overall, by the Florida Panthers.
Nanaimo Clippers defender Maxwell Crozier was picked 120th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Winnipeg picked another BCHLer, PG goalie Logan Neaton, 144th overall in the fifth round and Carolina went back to the BCHL well with the second-to-last pick in the draft, nabbing Penticton Vees forward Massimo Rizzo 216th overall.
