The Canadian Hockey League announced yesterday that it was canceling the Canada-Russia series due to Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, there are reports that the CHL may also prevent Russian and Belarusian players from being selected in the upcoming CHL Import Draft, but the league said a decision on that has yet to be made.
Hockey Canada also announced they will exclude Russia from events they host involving Team Canada.
The CHL released a statement that read:
“The Canadian Hockey League strongly condemns the recent actions by Russia involving military force in Ukraine and encourages a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
In addition to supporting the measures announced by the International Ice Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada barring Russia and Belarus from international competition, the Canadian Hockey League today announced the cancellation of the 2022 Canada Russia Series. The date and format for the 2022 CHL Import Draft has yet to be determined and will be announced at a later date.
The Canadian Hockey League is committed to the safety and well-being of all of its current players and is supportive of their continued development regardless of their country of origin.”