Team CHL Five to Watch: Elite Prospect’s Mitchell Brown
As the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge later this month draws closer, it’s time to examine another five players on Team CHL to keep an eye on.
On this occasion, we’ve tabbed Elite Prospect’s Head of Scouting Mitchell Brown to provide his insight on a quintuple of players who will look to impress scouts on the road to the 2026 NHL Draft. This year’s event is a two-game series against the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP) on Nov. 25 (Calgary) and Nov. 26 (Lethbridge).
Ethan Belchetz (Windsor/OHL): The top forward prospect on the team, there will be no shortage of expectations on Ethan Belchetz. At 6-foot-5, 228 pounds, he has the power forward frame and the soft skill to back it up. He’s a cunning playmaker who overcomes a lack of pure speed with perfect touch passes, long-range saucers, and deception to open lanes. Plus, he’s filling the net and he’s downright mean out there. We’ll be looking to see if he takes on more of a transition driving role here away from his usual linemates.
Brooks Rogowski (Oshawa/OHL) 6-foot-7, mobile, skilled, and highly disciplined – it requires zero imagination to picture Brooks Rogowski in the NHL. He’ll likely anchor the third or fourth line for Team CHL, leveraging his work rate, length, and details to disrupt plays and get pucks moving in the right direction. In moments, he makes high-end plays too, such as deceiving opponents to open lanes.
Carson Carels (Prince George/WHL) Ranked No. 11 in our preliminary ranking, Carson Carels’ start to the season has us wishing we pushed him even higher. A complete defenceman, Carels brings high-skill plays to the offensive zone and crushing hits in the defensive end. Increasingly, he’s becoming a top-end playmaker, making shifty moves off the point, looking away from his target, and finding a seam. We’ll be looking to see if he can streamline his game here.
GAME 1 TICKETS (Calgary)
GAME 2 TICKETS (Lethbridge)
Charlie Morrison (Quebec/QMJHL) Undrafted in his first year of QMJHL Draft eligibility, Charlie Morrison was picked up in the second round as a re-entry and has since become one of the league’s best. An intense defender with the details to match the energy, he’s stifling out there. Plus, he’s always looking to create something with the puck, whether it’s faking incoming pressure before finding an open teammate or joining every rush possible.
Giorgos Pantelas (Brandon/WHL) It’s hard to overstate how big a step Giorgos Pantelas has taken since last season – and he was already pretty great. Perhaps the most high-octane defender in the class, he plays with unmatched energy. He angles rushes, wins battles like his life depends on it, and throws plenty of hits – without taking penalties.
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.
TEAM CHL ROSTER — 2025 CHL USA PROSPECTS CHALLENGE
| Name | Team | League | Hometown | NHL CS Grade |
| Forwards (13) | ||||
| Ethan Belchetz | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | Oakville, ON | A |
| Maddox Dagenais | Québec Remparts | QMJHL | Saint-Lazare, QC | B |
| Alessandro Di Iorio | Sarnia Sting | OHL | Vaughan, ON | A |
| Beckham Edwards | Sarnia Sting | OHL | Komoka, ON | B |
| Chase Harrington | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | Prince George, BC | B |
| JP Hurlbert | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | Allen, TX (USA) | A |
| Nikita Klepov | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | Deerfield Beach, FL (USA) | A |
| Caleb Malhotra | Brantford Bulldogs | OHL | Toronto, ON | A |
| Adam Novotný | Peterborough Petes | OHL | Kobylice, CZE | A |
| Mathis Preston | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | Penticton, BC | A |
| Brooks Rogowski | Oshawa Generals | OHL | Brighton, MI (USA) | A |
| Ryan Roobroeck | Niagara IceDogs | OHL | London, ON | A |
| Egor Shilov | Victoriaville Tigres | QMJHL | Tyumen, RUS | A |
| Defencemen (7) | ||||
| Carson Carels | Prince George Cougars | WHL | Cypress River, MB | A |
| Ryan Lin | Vancouver Giants | WHL | Richmond, BC | A |
| Charlie Morrison | Québec Remparts | QMJHL | Miramichi, NB | B |
| Giorgos Pantelas | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | Victoria, BC | B |
| Chase Reid | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | Chesterfield, MI (USA) | A |
| Daxon Rudolph | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | Lacombe, AB | A |
| Xavier Villeneuve | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | Les Cèdres, QC | A |
| Goaltenders (2) | ||||
| Harrison Boettiger | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | Wheat Rudge, CO (USA) | B |
| Zachary Jovanovski | Guelph Storm | OHL | Tecumseh, ON | B |
Coaching & Support Staff
General Manager – Yanick Lemay (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL)
Head Coach – Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL)
Assistant Coach – Jay McKee (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL)
Assistant Coach – Sylvain Favreau (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL)
Third Assistant Coach – Mike Johnston (Portland Winterhawks / WHL)
Video Coach – Jayce Desjardins (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL)
Head Athletic Therapist (Both Games) – Mikki Lanuk (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL)
Athletic Therapist (Calgary Game Only) – Adam Leckie (Calgary Hitmen / WHL)
Equipment Manager (Calgary Game Only) – Robin McDonald (Calgary Hitmen / WHL)
Athletic Therapist (Lethbridge Game Only) – Marty Palechuk (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL)
Equipment Manager (Lethbridge Game Only) – Rhett White (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL)
