The larder is full so the Victoria Royals had no need to restock it Tuesday in the 2016 Canadian Hockey League import draft.
The Royals passed on their picks.
Victoria has 19-year-old Russian players Vladimir Bobylev, a forward taken by the Toronto Maple Leafs last weekend in the NHL draft, and defenceman Marsel Ibragimov scheduled to return for the 2016-17 WHL season.
Each team in the CHL — which includes the WHL, OHL and QMJHL — can carry two import players on the roster.
With both those positions already filled, that negated any need for Victoria to make a selection in this year’s import draft.
“Both [Bobylev and Ibragimov] have been good players for us,” Victoria GM Cam Hope said.
There was also the fact the defending WHL regular-season champion Royals were positioned to pick 60th and last in the first round among all CHL teams and then 120th in the second round.
So even if the Royals were looking to shake up their import situation, that positioning made any such move through the draft a no-go this year.
“We were not confident we would get [quality] at that point,” said Hope.
The Kootenay Ice of the WHL had the first overall pick and took six-foot-four Russian forward and U-18 national team captain Klim Kostin.
WHL teams selected 24 import players in total Tuesday.
Victoria was among five WHL teams — including Kelowna, Lethbridge, Tri City and Prince Albert — that passed.
The Royals will open the 2016-17 regular season with four consecutive home games, beginning on Sept. 23 against the Prince George Cougars.
