The Sarnia Sting have signed Swedish defenceman Eric Hjorth for the upcoming OHL season.
He was chosen in the CHL import draft out of Linkoping HC in Sweden.
The 18-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2019 NHL draft.
An injury limited him to just four regular-season games in 2018-2019. He put up three goals and three assists in three games with Linkoping HC J18, and went pointless in one game with the Linkoping HC J20 squad.
Sting GM Nick Sinclair said he is looking forward to seeing what Hjorth can do in a Sting uniform.
"This is an exciting day for our organization," said Sinclair. "Eric's decision to commit to the Ontario Hockey League as the next step in his development path is one that Sting Nation is truly excited about.
"Eric is a big bodied defender with a heavy release who skates and sees the ice extremely well. He has natural offensive instincts and a strong ability to drive the rush and make plays to get pucks back up the ice," he said. "We believe that he has the makeup to be a high impact player for our club and we look forward to Eric arriving in Sarnia to get things started."
You can see the newest import of the Sting when Training Camp opens at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena in late August. Details to be confirmed at a later date.