By Paul Osborne, Guelph Tribune

The Guelph Storm have made their annual selections in the Canadian Hockey League’s import draft and now they’ll sit back and wait to see who shows up.  They selected 6’3”, 190lb defenceman Andrei Pedan from Russia with their first pick, 32nd overall.  With their second selection the Storm took 6’2” goaltender Matej Machovsky from the Czech Republic.  Both players will turn seventeen later this month.

“We are hoping that Pedan can come in and push for a top four spot” said Guelph Storm coach and general manager Jason Brooks.  “He is a big, strong kid who is pretty mobile and we think he’ll be able to help on the back end.”

Brooks has never seen either player on the ice and is relying on reports from a player agency that has “a good track record” when it comes to identifying prospects.  The website russianprospect.com also speaks highly of Pedan.

“He can be very effective at both ends of the ice and likes to play aggressively” said the website before passing on some other worrisome information if you’re a member of the Storm organization.  “…considering his status with the Dynamo Moscow organization it’s hard to think that he’ll report (to Guelph), but with the Import Draft is (sic) really hard to guess correctly and thus he might well join the Storm in September.  He has all the tools to be a high draft pick (in the NHL), but he needs to be tested again better competition.”

Drafting Russian players has always been a crapshoot when it comes to getting them to report.  The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) has added another reason for the players to stay home and Pedan was a first round pick of his home KHL team, Dynamo, 18th overall.  But to keep things in perspective, Evgeny Molotilov, who the Storm will not bring back this season, was an 11th overall pick last year in the KHL draft.

“We are told he is committed to coming” said Brooks emphatically.  “We think he wants to play in the NHL and players see that kids over here tend to get picked a little higher because they show they really want to play in North America.”

While Pedan may have the most impact if he sticks with the Storm, Machovsky will also be expected to come in and fight for a spot.

“Brandon Foote is clearly our number one guy but I expect Machovsky to battle with Garrett Sparks for the back-up role” said Brooks.  “With the injuries we have suffered (in the past) I have to make sure we have depth at the goaltending position.  Things will sort themselves out at training camp but I expect the two kids to come in and fight for a spot.”

Machovsky played in two of the Czech’s five games at the last World Under 17 championships held in Timmins and was in goal for the only game they won.  At the Under 17 Five Nations tournament last summer Machovsky stopped 34 shots to lead the Czechs over the Americans 2-1.  The Americans would go on to win the World Under 17s. 

So the picks have been made and now Storm fans and management alike have to sit and wait.  Wait to find out whether they report, and if they do, are they as good as their agents say they are.  It is a summer ritual as true as eating strawberries and splashing in the lake.

From the Land of Oz…..Former Storm players Dan Paille and Manny Malhotra signed new contracts on July 1st.  Paille resigned with Boston for two years and 2.15 million.  Malhotra, a free agent, moved from San Jose to Vancouver for a three year deal worth 7.5 million….The Storm’s Carter Sandlak has been invited to the tryout camp for Canada’s Under 18 team which will play in the Ivan Hlinka Tournament in the Czech Republic in August.