Team CHL Five to Watch: The Hockey News’ Tony Ferrari

We’re less two weeks away from the second edition of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge and interest continues to ramp up as the top talent for the 2026 NHL Draft descend upon Alberta.

With a roster full of talent, The Hockey News’ Tony Ferrari takes a look at five players on Team CHL he is keen to watch at this year’s event against the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP) on Nov. 25 (Calgary) and Nov. 26 (Lethbridge).

Chase Harrington (Spokane/WHL)There is plenty of potential in Harrington’s game and while he’s still figuring out exactly what he is going to be, the package is intriguing. He plays a power game with some really nice finishing ability around the net, and he works give-and-go’s quite well. His chemistry with Mathis Preston has been growing throughout the season and if the pair is together for Team CHL, they could have a bit of juice immediately. The power and speed combination of those two would be a lot for the NTDP to handle.

JP Hurlbert (Kamloops/WHL) I expected him to score at the WHL level with some proficiency but this start has been insane. The skill and creativity are obvious in his game and he’s brought some really solid processing offensively as well. Seeing him with the best of the best from the CHL will give a sense of whether he can be part of a collaborative environment or whether he is better off shining as ‘The Guy’. Seeing him go up against his former NTDP teammates will be quite the show as he looks to prove that he’s the cream of the crop and the WHL was the right landing place for him.

GAME 1 TICKETS (Calgary)
GAME 2 TICKETS (Lethbridge)

Caleb Malhotra (Brantford/OHL) The recently named captain of Team CHL, Malhotra embodies leadership in his play style. He’s not one to take a shift off and he understands the importance of playing sound, two-way hockey. He’s no defensive specialist, though – his 25 points have him just outside of the top ten in league scoring. Malhotra is a complete center that NHL teams are going to be coveting because of his versatility.

Adam Novotný (Peterborough/OHL) One of two European-born players competing for the CHL, Novotny has been an interesting evaluation to start the year. He’s been good in transition and he’s shown some really nice flashes as a playmaker but he seems to be adjusting to North America still. Him showing out on a big stage would be great for his early-season draft stock.

Egor Shilov (Victoriaville/QMJHL) He’s torching the QMJHL right now and it comes from his high-end skill and willingness to work through pressure. How he looks alongside and against the more physical and higher-paced players from the WHL, OHL and NTDP will be key.