Chiefs draft 19-year-old Swedish player

The Western Hockey League Spokane Chiefs selected Johannes Salmonsson, a 19-year-old Swedish forward, with the 15th overall selection in Wednesday’s Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.

The 6-foot-2 Salmonsson was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with 31st overall selection in the 2004 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

Last season, he finished sixth overall in scoring at the World Junior Hockey Championships with five goals and eight points in six games for Team Sweden. Salmonsson also played for Team Sweden in the 2004 World Junior Tournament.

“We are very excited about the selection of Johannes Salmonsson,” Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said in a release. “We feel he will be a front-line player in the WHL and will be a great complement to our forwards.”

With four separate teams, including the World Junior club, Salmonsson appeared in 48 games last season and scored nine goals and 16 points.

The Chiefs already have the maximum of two import players on their roster: Swedish defenseman Gustav Engman and Austrian forward Michael Grabner. But they were allowed to draft a third because Engman will be an over-age player next season.