Eeli Tolvanen Selected by Oshawa in CHL Import Draft

Recent Boston College commit and consensus 2017 first round NHL Draft prospect Eeli Tolvanen was selected by the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League in the first round, 17th overall of Tuesday's CHL Import Draft.

It was expected that Tolvanen would be picked somewhere in the CHL Draft, and that whichever team drafted him, would put on the full-court press to sign the talented prospect. Now, at least, the Eagles know who they will have to be recruiting against.

This past April at the World U18 Championships, Tolvanen didn't sound overly-enthused about the college route, and seemed destined to play in the CHL, before making a surprise commitment to Boston College:

Eeli Tolvanen says he hasn't visited any colleges yet and mentions upcoming CHL Draft as a possibility for next season.

— Brad E. Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) April 18, 2016

The CHL Import Draft isn't so much a "draft" in the true sense of the word as much as it is known as an "agent's draft" in which there is a lot of behind-the-scenes wrangling and negotiating trying to get certain players onto certain teams(and, allegedly, making sure those teams pay a certain price, in many instances). There is always the possibility that Tolvanen used the commitment to Boston College as additional leverage to find the right spot in the CHL.

The question now becomes if Oshawa was a place Tolvanen wanted to go(or, again, allegedly, is Oshawa willing to pony up the right amount of money), or is Tolvanen intent on sticking with his commitment to Boston College. The stakes are pretty high here with an extremely talented player on the line, and it should be an interesting recruiting battle to watch unfold.