The Canadian Hockey League held its annual import draft Thursday in which all CHL teams can take up to two European-born players for the upcoming season.
The Everett Silvertips selected 57th overall in the first round and took 2001-born Slovakian left winger Peter Melcher, who is listed at 5-foot-9 and 168 pounds.
Melcher will join fellow Slovakia native Martin Fasko-Rudas who just completed his first season with the Tips and will return for his second season in August.
“By the time we got to pick he jumped off the page as the guy to take,” Everett general manager Garry Davidson said. “He has a lot of similarities to Fasko(-Rudas) and he’s done well in his home country.”
Melcher has already spent time in the United States as he played in 21 games with two goals and four assists for the Iowa Wild AAA U-16 team of the T1EHL. He also tallied three goals and two assists in a dozen games for the MHC Martin U20 team in Slovakia, and totaled 17 goals and 10 assists in 15 games the MHC Martin U18 team.
“He’s got skills, he’s got hockey sense and he’s someone that’s going to come in and do well for us this year, but also be with us for two or three years,” Davidson said.
In 2016-17 Melcher had 26 goals and 25 assists in 43 games with the MHC Martin U18 team while playing as a 15-year-old. Melcher also represented Slovakia at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Cup.
Melcher will join the Tips as a 17-year-old just like Fasko-Rudas did last season. Fasko-Rudas was a versatile winger who spent time on each of Everett’s top three lines during the regular season when he recorded six goals and nine assists. He broke out during the postseason with five goals and three assists in 22 postseason game.
Melcher will replace defenseman Ondrej Vala who is signed with the Dallas Stars and will play professionally this upcoming season.
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.
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