Lakovic looking to shine at CHL USA Prospects Challenge this week
Moose Jaw, SK – Lynden Lakovic will be going toe-to-toe with the best draft-eligible players in Canada and the United States this week.
The Moose Jaw Warriors forward is set to represent Team CHL at the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota in London and Oshawa, ON on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I’m pumped, it’s a huge honour and that’s something that I’ve been looking forward to for quite a while now, there’s going to be a lot of eyes on those two games, so I’m really looking forward to it,” Lakovic said.
Lakovic was rated as an ‘A’ skater by NHL Central Scouting on the preliminary ‘Players to Watch’ list last month, which has points to him being a first-round prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft.
That rating earned Lakovic a spot on Team CHL for the first edition of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, which replaces the annual Top Prospects Game this season.
Lakovic said he’s looking forward to the new two-game format.
“A one-game thing, there’s a lot of guys that might have an off night and I don’t think that’s super fair, so two games gives yourself a good opportunity to showcase yourself and prove to yourself that you’re one of the best players in North America for a reason,” he said.
With the format also switching to Canada against the United States, Lakovic said that will add a little bit of fire to the games.
“Canada, U.S. has been a rivalry forever now and those games are always exciting, no matter what, and there’s definitely going to be some bad blood between the two teams,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s a game where we’re there to have fun and showcase ourselves, but I just want to win.”
Lakovic has been off to a great start in his third season with the Warriors. The 17-year-old forward currently leads the team with 12 goals and 28 points in 23 games this season.
The West Kelowna, BC product has a career-best 1.22 points per game so far this season as well.
“It all starts with my 200-foot game, that’s something I wanted to build over the summer and it’s been executing to almost perfection,” he said. “Good defence turns into good offence and that leads to a lot of opportunities and gives myself a chance to showcase my skill and put the puck in the net.”
Lakovic has had the opportunity to play on a line with Warriors captain Brayden Yager, who went through the draft process a few seasons ago before being selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.
Lakovic said he’s been able to learn a lot from Yager.
“He’s a great leader, a great mentor for me,” he said. “He’s someone that came into the league as a pure goal scorer and he’s built his 200-foot game and that’s got him where he’s at today.
“He’s definitely helped me in all departments, not just building my 200-foot game, but the mental side of the game too and with all the outside noise going on in a draft year like this, so I give a lot of credit to him for helping me out there.”
Going into the two-game series, Team CHL will be full of star players and Lakovic said making the most of every shift will be key to getting noticed.
“Everyone’s there for a reason… and you don’t know how many [shifts] you’re going to get and in a short event like this, two games, not a lot of hockey, so you’ve got to make every shift count,” he said.
Team CHL square off against Team USA on Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre and then they meet for a rematch on Wednesday at Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa.
