CHL starpower highlights Canada Russia series dominance
For seventeen years, the CHL’s best faced Russia’s top junior players.
Established in 2003, the annual six-game series was an integral part of the year-long junior hockey season.
Typically held in late November into early December, the series saw a Russia Selects team play two games each against the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Western Hockey League (WHL).
The star-power throughout was substantial; over the course of the events history, future NHL stars Sidney Crosby (2003/2004), Ryan Getzlaf (2003), John Tavares (2007/2008), Jordan Eberle (2008), Nazem Kadri (2009), Artemi Panarin (2010), Ryan Strome (2011/2012), Nathan MacKinnon (2011/2012), Nikita Kucherov (2011), Sam Reinhart (2012/2013/2014), Jonathan Huberdeau (2012), Connor McDavid (2012/2013), Brayden Point (2014/2015), Mitch Marner (2014/2015) and Nick Suzuki (2017/2018) all suited up in the series.
The results were also favourable; across 102 games, the CHL’s member leagues ultimately won the series 66-36 (five CHL wins came in overtime while Russia won 10 games in the extra frame).
Breaking it down by league, the OHL posted a 26-8 record (1-2 in OT), the WHL went 22-12 (2-4 in OT) and the QMJHL 18-16 (2-4 in OT). In all, the CHL’s member leagues scored 382 goals against 259 conceded.
Additionally, there were three CHL sweeps (2005, 2006, 2009) while Russia only left North America victorious on four occasions (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018).
The 2020 and 2021 series were unfortunately cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic while the series was ultimately scrapped a year later after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The series has now effectively been replaced by the CHL USA Prospects Challenge that heads into its second edition later this month.
Jonathan Drouin, who played in the event twice (2012/2013) for the QMJHL as a member of the Halifax Mooseheads, was the CHL’s all-time point leader in the events duration as in three games, he collected eight points (one goal).
Ironically, Kucherov, who played one season in the QMJHL with Rouyn-Noranda and Quebec in 2012-13, scored the most goals (four) among CHL grads but he lined up for Team Russia in his lone appearance in 2011.
For those who represented the CHL’s member leagues, eight players lead the way all-time with three goals: Strome, Charles Hudon (2011/2012/2013), Freddie Hamilton (2011), Matt Bissonnette (2011), Spencer Watson (2014/2015), Taylor Raddysh (2015/2016/2017), Jansen Harkins (2016/2017) and Raphael Lavoie (2018/2019).
While the series is ultimately in the past, it remains a critical part of the CHL’s history. And to that point, it could not have ended on a more perfect note; the double shootout in 2019.
More to come …
