BY SCOTT
HADDOW
The Sudbury Wolves are in the hunt for some European
flavour.
The annual CHL Import Draft is taking place today. The Wolves
first pick is 51st overall, which they recently acquired from
Brampton for their first round Import draft pick in 2007.
Sudbury had previously given up their 2006 first rounder to
Saginaw in the Ryan McDonough deal at the end of last season.
With their two picks in the Euro draft, the Wolves will
again be looking for older players who can step in and provide
the club with a positive impact.
Wolves head coach and GM Mike Foligno, realizing there are
potential problems on the blue line, is gunning for a sound
defenceman and an offensively gifted forward.
"We feel there will still be quality players available that we want to acquire," said Foligno. "We are looking for a defenceman with one of the two picks, as well as, an offensive forward. We're looking for older players, if possible.
It will also depend on the situation when our picks come up
and who's available."
Last year, the Wolves hit a home run by drafting rugged and
hulking winger Anton Hedman.
The big Swede had a short adjustment period and was a physical force, filling a big void left by Zack Stortini.
Hedman, picked 37th overall, scored 18 goals, 34 points and
126 penalty minutes for Sudbury in 2005-06. He was a constant
force on the power play and caused many opposing teams to be
wary of his presence because of his intense physical play.
"We hope to land an impact player or two," said Foligno. "We
were fortunate last year to acquire Anton. There's always a bit
of a learning curve for these guys to play in the OHL. They
also have to learn English, so it takes time for some of the
players to adjust and have an impact.
 Hedman already spoke English and was knowledgeable,
and it was a big help when they came over here to play."
The Wolves first pick in 2005 was Marek Polak, seventh
overall. Polak was a complete bust, playing just two games and
recording no points before being shipped back to the Czech
Republic.
"It's always a challenge to draft players...You have to find out, even though they're available, if they will come over to play once they've been picked," said Foligno.
