2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge Game 1 Player to Watch: Harrison Boettiger, Kelowna Rockets
Calgary, Alta.- Familiar territory, new jersey.
Kelowna Rockets netminder Harrison Boettiger has been tapped to start Game 1 of the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge- 368 days after he was between the pipes for the U.S. National Team Development Program in Game 2 of the inaugural edition of the showcase.
“I’ve thrown some jabs at the (U.S.) boys, you know, chirp them a little bit, trying to get them going,” Boettiger, the lone returning player from the 2024 Prospects Challenge, grinned. “It’s awesome to see both sides and be able to experience being in my home country, and then playing in one of the best leagues in the world and being able to represent both of them on the highest stage. It’s nothing but an honor, and it’s something I’m really thankful for.”
While CHL Head Coach Willie Desjardins says there was no sentimental motivation in giving the 17-year-old the nod, the top 2026 NHL Draft-eligible goalie is eager to gain some bragging rights against his former teammates and friends- in front of stands packed with NHL scouts, no less.
Boettiger is riding some serious momentum with wins in five consecutive starts.
After a brief stumble out of the gates- amid an emergency appendectomy- the 6-foot-3, 193-pound netminder has settled into the WHL with a 5-2-1-1 record, 2.37 goals-against average, and a .921 save percentage.
He ranks second among all starting WHL goalies in GAA and third in save percentage, while picking up Mary Brown’s Chicken WHL Goaltender of the Week Honours on November 24.
"I've thrown some jabs at the boys. You know, chirp them a little bit. Trying to get them going. But, I think it's going to be a competitive game."@Kelowna_Rockets' Harrison Boettiger chats with the media about facing former teammates at the 2025 #CHLUSAProspectsChallenge. pic.twitter.com/OyKV1CcpJc
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) November 24, 2025
“What we’ve just seen him get used to and accustomed to is the pace of the game and the level of the shot that’s coming towards him,” Rockets Head Coach Derrick Martin said prior to the showcase. “He’s got some pretty good shooters that shoot on him every day in practice and I think it’s showing up in games… He’s a really calm influence back there. He never rides the highs too high or the lows too low. He’s got a next-play mentality.”
Those practice shots have gotten even more dangerous as Boettiger stares down a slew of projected top 2026 NHL picks- from A-rated forwards like Mathis Preston (Spokane Chiefs) and fellow American JP Hurlbert (Kamloops Blazers) to tremendous defenders like Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants) and Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders).
“First year in the WHL and he’s come in and done really well in Kelowna, and then (getting) to know him for a little bit here in these couple days, he’s impressed me a lot,” Rudolph said. “He’s a really good goaltender, and I’m sure he’s going to be on his game tonight against his former team.”
Boettiger has earned a B rating as a potential second- or third-round pick in NHL Central Scouting’s October Preliminary Player list, but has a case to help his draft stock climb- and help the CHL stay undefeated at the new-look Prospects Challenge.
Puck drops at the Scotiabank Saddledome at 6:00 p.m. MST on Tuesday, November 25.
TSN will broadcast the match in Canada, while fans in the United States and around the world can tune in for free on Victory+.
