Top Prospects arrived in Vancouver
Vancouver, BC – The players didn’t officially know until last week that they would be participating in the game, but for many of the CHL’s top draft prospects for the next NHL Entry Draft have had this week circled on their calendar for months.
Forty of the Canadian Hockey League’s best 18-year-old players arrived in Vancouver on Monday to participate in the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Pacific Coliseum on Wednesday (7:00 pm Pacific/10:00 pm Eastern on Rogers Sportsnet). The players will also participate in NHL skills testing on Tuesday morning, a skills competition and three-on-three game on Tuesday and a special Top Prospects banquet on Wednesday.
The teams will be coached by Hockey Night in Canada personality and former NHL coach of the year Don Cherry and Rogers Sportsnet broadcaster and former NHL goaltender John Davidson.
“If you’ve been watching these games, they have been dynamite game,” said Cherry, who is coaching in his ninth Top Prospects Game. “You’re going to see a great hockey game. This is not an exhibition game. I remember when I went into the very first one at Maple Leaf Gardens and I though I was going to have some fun. For these kids, it’s like the seventh game of the Stanley Cup.”
Tuesday’s skills competition and three-on-three game will be carried live on Mojo Radio in Vancouver (www.mojoradio.ca). The station will also carry special Home Hardware Top Prospects Game coverage throughout the afternoon on Tuesday and the game on Wednesday (7:00 pm Pacific / 10:00 pm Eastern).
Sidney Crosby, the consensus number one prospects for the next NHL Draft, won’t be participating in the events due to an injury sustained in the World Junior Championships. The Cole Harbour, NS native and star of the Rimouski Oceanic is home getting treatment on the injury.
Vancouver Giants star Gilbert Brule is the Western Hockey League’s top rated prospect in the NHL Central Scouting mid-term rankings and is looking forward to showing off his skills in front of his home-town fans.
“It’s going to be lots of fun and I’ve heard that it’s going to be a sold-out building, so it’s going to be even more incentive to play harder and have more fun,” said Brule, who will play for Team Cherry. “There’s going to be lots of scouts at this game and everyone knew coming into this game that we have to play our best game of our lives. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Photo: Chris Relke/chl.ca
