Dzierkals to the QMJHL, Leafs Prospects Get WJC Camp Invites

It looks like ‘The Latvian’ will be heading to the QMJHL. 

In this morning’s CHL Import Draft, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies selected Martins Dzierkals with the 22nd overall pick. 

Dzierkals, of course, was selected by the Leafs with their third round pick, 68th overall, on the second day of the NHL Entry Draft this past Saturday. Following the draft, The Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle tweeted that Dzierkals was likely to come over and continue his development in the CHL.

Last year, Dzierkals scored 28 points in 32 games for HK Riga in the MHL, Russia’s junior league. He was also a standout for Team Latvia at the World Juniors U18 tournament, where he scored three goals and nine points in six games.

In related prospect news, a number of recently drafted Leafs will be given a shot to join their respective national teams later this year, as World Juniors camp invites have begun to trickle out.

Both of Toronto’s first two picks in the 2015 Draft, London’s Mitch Marner and Erie’s Travis Dermott, have been added to Canada’s camp roster. Marner has a very good shot at making the final roster and playing a significant role in Canada’s offense, but Dermott might have a bit of a tough time making the cut. The only returning player from last’ years defence is Detroit Red Wings prospect Joe Hicketts, but Dermott will face stiff competition against 13 other hopefuls, including names like Carolina’s Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown and Philadelphia’s Travis Sanheim.

Second round pick Jeremy Bracco and fifth round pick Dmytro Timashov will also be attending WJC camps with the United States and Sweden, respectively.