Leadership group for Team CHL revealed for 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada
Porter Martone (Brampton Steelheads / OHL) will serve as captain, while Blake Fiddler (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL), Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters / OHL), and Caleb Desnoyers (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL) will be the alternate captains
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to announce the leadership group for Team CHL ahead of the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada. Porter Martone (Brampton Steelheads / OHL) has been selected as the captain of the team, while Blake Fiddler (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL), Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters / OHL), and Caleb Desnoyers (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL) will serve as the alternate captains for the team.
Martone, Schaefer, Desnoyers, and Fiddler are four of 14 players on Team CHL who were identified by NHL Central Scouting as first-round candidates for the 2025 NHL Draft. With two players on the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP) Under-18 Team having also received that distinction in October (William Moore and Charlie Trethewey), the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada is expected to feature 50% or more of the players who are going to be drafted in the first round of next summer’s 2025 NHL Draft – highlighting the incredible talent that will be on display throughout this two-game series in London and Oshawa.
Building off of one of hockey’s greatest rivalries between Canada and the United States, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see the top 22 prospects from the CHL’s Member Leagues – Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) – compete against those from the U.S. National Under-18 Team in a two-game series on November 26 in London, Ont., and November 27 in Oshawa, Ont.
The 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada airs live in Canada from both London and Oshawa on TSN and RDS on Tuesday, November 26 and Wednesday, November 27 starting at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT. Meanwhile, in the United States, the games will air live on NHL Network, while viewers outside of Canada can catch all the action on CHL TV.
Set to serve as captain for Team CHL, Porter Martone (16G-16A in 16 GP) is no stranger to wearing a “C” on his jersey. Named captain of the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads ahead of the 2024-25 season, Martone has enjoyed an incredible start to his season having registered 16 goals and 32 points in 16 games – both of which rank second in the OHL this season and trail only fellow Team CHL forward Michael Misa of the Saginaw Spirit. Martone’s 2.00 point-per-game average ranks as the second-best of any skater in the OHL (behind Misa as well) and third in the CHL. In addition to serving as part of the Steelheads’ leadership group, the 18-year-old from Peterborough, Ont., also captained Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship. At that event, Martone set a new career scoring record by a Canadian with 23 career points (8G-15A) at the tournament, surpassing WHL alumnus Connor Bedard’s previous record of 21 points. In addition to his gold at the 2024 U18 World Championship, Martone has medalled a total of four times on the international stage (2022 U17 World Challenge – silver; 2023 U18 World Championship – bronze; 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup – gold; 2024 U18 World Championship – gold).
As one of the alternate captains of Team CHL, Matthew Schaefer (4G-7A in 9 GP) will be reprising a role that he currently serves with the OHL’s Erie Otters. In just nine games so far this season, the 17-year-old from Stoney Creek, Ont., has 11 points, having registered three multi-point outings including a career-best four points (2G-2A) against the IceDogs in Niagara on November 7. Selected as a member of the OHL’s All-Rookie First Team after the 2023-24 campaign, Schaefer followed Erie Otters franchise cornerstones Connor McDavid (2012) and Ryan O’Reilly (2007) as the third first overall selection in the organization’s history when he was chosen as the top pick of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. Over the last year, Schaefer became the first of three players in history – along with fellow Team CHL players Caleb Desnoyers and Jack Ivankovic – to ever help Canada win a gold medal at the World U17 Hockey Challenge (2023), the IIHF U18 World Championship (2024), and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (2024).
Currently playing a key role in the success of the No.1-ranked Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL, Caleb Desnoyers (12G-13A in 15 GP) will be one of the team’s three alternate captains at the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge. Through 15 games this season, the 17-year-old from Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., has registered 12 goals and 25 points, giving him a 1.67-point-per-game average that ranks among the top 10 in the QMJHL. The Wildcats forward is currently on a seven-game point streak, having collected nine goals and 15 points over that stretch. Desnoyers also currently holds a +20 plus/minus rating, which is the second-best mark in the QMJHL. Selected first overall by Moncton at the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft, Desnoyers was the third first-overall pick in Wildcats’ history following forward Steve Bernier (2001) and defenceman Brandon Gormley (2008). During the 2023-24 season, after placing third in QMJHL rookie scoring with 56 points (20G-36A), Desnoyers was named to the QMJHL’s 2023-24 Rookie All-Star team. Along with fellow Team CHL players Matthew Schaefer and Jack Ivankovic, Desnoyers is one of three players in history to have ever helped Canada to first-place finishes at the World U17 Hockey Challenge (2023), the IIHF U18 World Championship (2024), and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (2024).
Having held the distinction of captaining Team USA at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup this past summer, Blake Fiddler (3G-4A in 18 GP) of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings rounds out the leadership group as one of Team CHL’s alternate captains. Thus far during the 2024-25 campaign, Fiddler leads Oil Kings defencemen with three goals in 18 games. A year ago, at the 2023 World U17 Hockey Challenge, Fiddler was one of six Team CHL players to lift Canada White to a gold medal over the United States. This past summer, the 17-year-old from Frisco, Texas, captained Team USA to a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, finishing the tournament with four points (1G-3A in 5 GP). The latter represented the second time in his career that Fiddler has worn the ‘C’ for the United States as he previously served as the captain for the American squad that placed second at the 2023 Under-17 Five Nations tournament in Czechia. The son of 14-year NHL veteran and WHL alumnus Vernon Fiddler, Blake was the first-overall selection of the Oil Kings at the 2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft. Fiddler made his WHL debut during the 2023-24 campaign, tallying 15 points (5G-10A) in 63 games.
The CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see players from the CHL and the U.S. National Under-18 Team compete before hundreds of NHL scouts and thousands of fans in an effort to improve their draft stock ahead of the upcoming NHL Draft. The first game will take place on Tuesday, November 26 at Canada Life Place in London, Ont., while the second contest will be held the following night on Wednesday, November 27 at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa, Ont. Fans interested in buying tickets for either game can do so in person at the box office or online:
