Kitchener hosts 26th Annual Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

 

The 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game goes tonight at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium and 18 OHL players are preparing to put on a show for NHL scouts, general managers and a full building of excited fans one of the League’s finest facilities.

• Meet Team Red
• Meet Team White

Tonight’s game is live across the country on TSN 5 at 8:00pm ET. The game is also streaming on TSN.ca, the TSN App and TSN Direct. Fans in the United States can watch the game live on NHL Network.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the annual showcase:

• The 2022 edition marks the 26th anniversary of the Top Prospects Game.

• Kitchener hosts the event for a second time after last doing so in 2003. Sixteen other cities have hosted including Toronto (‘96-98, ‘00, ‘11), Calgary (‘99, ‘01, ‘14), Saskatoon (‘02), London (‘04), Vancouver (’05, ‘16), Ottawa (‘06), Quebec City (’07, ‘17), Edmonton (‘08), Oshawa (‘09), Windsor (‘10), Kelowna (‘12), Halifax (‘13), St. Catharines (’15) Guelph (’18), Red Deer (’19) and Hamilton (’20).

• The 2003 event in Kitchener saw Team Cherry edge Team Orr by a score of 4-3 on a game winner from Danny Fritsche (Sarnia Sting). Other prominent OHL names in that game included Eric Staal (Peterborough Petes), Michael Richards (Kitchener Rangers), Jeff Carter (Soo Greyhounds), Patrick O’Sullivan (Mississauga IceDogs), Kevin Klein (Toronto St. Michael’s Majors), Anthony Stewart (Kingston Frontenacs), Nathan Horton (Oshawa Generals), Dustin Brown (Guelph Storm) and Corey Perry (London Knights).

• 15 players have participated in this event before being selected first overall: Chris Phillips (1996), Joe Thornton (1997), Vincent Lecavalier (1998), Rick Nash (2002), Marc-Andre Fleury (2003), Patrick Kane (2007), Steven Stamkos (2008), John Tavares (2009), Taylor Hall (2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Nathan MacKinnon (2013), Aaron Ekblad (2014), Connor McDavid (2015), Nico Hischier (2017) and Alexis Lafreniere (2020). Sidney Crosby (2005) and Nail Yakupov (2012) were both invited but unable to compete due to injury and were later chosen first overall.

• 360 players from this event have been selected in the first round of the NHL Draft since 1996.

• 17 players from the 2020 game became first round NHL Draft selections including five OHL top-10 selections in Quinton Byfield (2nd overall, Los Angeles), Jamie Drysdale (6th overall, Anaheim), Jack Quinn (8th overall, Buffalo), Marco Rossi (9th overall, Minnesota) and Cole Perfetti (10th overall, Winnipeg).

• Five OHL teams are being represented by multiple players this year including the Guelph Storm (4), Kingston Frontenacs (2), London Knights (2), Mississauga Steelheads (2) and Saginaw Spirit (2).

• The London Knights have had a CHL record 35 players compete in the event since 1996, a figure that includes 2022 competitors Ruslan Gazizov and Isaiah George.

• The Plymouth Whalers hold the record with five players in one game played in 2000 (Tomas Kurka, Jared Newman, Libor Ustrnul, Kris Vernarsky, and Justin Williams). Additionally, the Guelph Storm become the 12th team to feature four players (Buchinger, Karabela, Poitras, Zhilkin). Other teams with four in one game have included Halifax (2018 and 2003), Mississauga (2016), Rimouski (2013), Saint John (2011), Portland (2011 and 2010), Kingston (2006), Kitchener (2005), Calgary (2004), Red Deer (2001), Seattle (2000), Medicine Hat (1996).

• The Soo Greyhounds (Bryce McConnell-Barker) hold the longest streak of sending players to the event, doing so for a 12th straight year (2010-22).

• The 2022 host Kitchener Rangers have had 24 players compete in this event in their history including first round NHL picks Boyd Devereaux (1996), Steve Eminger (2002), Michael Richards (2003), Boris Valabik (2004), Jakub Kindl and Matt Lashoff (2005), Mikkel Boedker (2008), Jeff Skinner (2010), Ryan Murphy (2011) and Radek Faksa (2012).

• Team Red captain Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs was the 2020 OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year and is the top-ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings for the 2022 NHL Draft.

• The winning team is awarded the Don Cherry and Bobby Orr CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Trophy first presented in 2006 that includes names of all past players. The Jim Gregory Player of the Game Awards were first presented 2012.