‘Grade A’ players set to star at 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge
The top 2026 NHL Draft prospects are off to Calgary and Lethbridge later this month.
Literally.
As part of Team CHL’s roster for the second edition of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, 15 players that were recently given a ‘Grade A’ rating by NHL Central Scouting in their Preliminary Players to Watch List will hit the ice.
Players that were given such a rating are indicated as potential first round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft next June.
This year’s two-game series – where the top first-year 2026 NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the CHL’s Member Leagues – WHL, OHL, and QMJHL – face off against the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP) – will take place Nov. 25 (Calgary) and Nov. 26 (Lethbridge).
GAME 1 TICKETS (Calgary)
GAME 2 TICKETS (Lethbridge)
The OHL’s top-ranked talent consists of forwards Ethan Belchetz (Windsor Spitfires), Alessandro Di Iorio (Sarina Sting), Nikita Klepov (Saginaw Spirit), Caleb Malhotra (Brantford Bulldogs), Adam Novotny (Peterborough Petes), Brooks Rogowski (Oshawa Generals) and Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara IceDogs) as well as defencemen Chase Reid (Soo Greyhounds).
The WHL’s ‘A’ ranked talent features forwards JP Hurlbert (Kamloops Blazers) and Mathis Preston (Spokane Chiefs) in addition to blueliners Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars), Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants) and Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders).
The QMJHL’s Grade ‘A’ skaters are forward Egor Shilov (Victoriaville Tigres) and d-man Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada).
On the NTDP side, defenceman Luke Schairer was given the same rating.
The early ratings are more than justified too.
Both Klepov and Malhotra have adapted to life in the OHL with ease; Klepov sits third in league scoring with 30 points in just 19 games while Malhotra sits 10th with 25 points in the same number of games.
Furthermore, Klepov’s 14 goals are tied for the fourth most in the OHL while Belchetz has 13 goals and 24 points in his sophomore campaign. On the blue line, Reid’s 24 points are the third most among OHL d-men.
Out West, Hurlbert has dazzled from day one; he leads the WHL in scoring with 35 points (13 goals) in only 20 games while his 22 assists rank third. Defensively, the WHL’s top two point getters so far this season are Lin and Carels with 22 and 21 points respectively.
In the Q, Shilov’s rookie season sees him tied sixth in league scoring with 26 points in only 19 games while Villeneuve sits ninth in QMJHL scoring with 24 points and leads all defencemen.
Building off of one of hockey’s greatest rivalries between Canada and the United States, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see players from the CHL and NTDP’s U18 team compete before hundreds of NHL scouts and thousands of fans in an effort to improve their draft stock ahead of next year’s NHL Draft.
The 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge will be broadcast live across Canada on TSN and RDS. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. MT / 8:00 p.m. ET both nights.
Tickets are available now at chl.ca/prospectschallenge
