The city of Hamilton will host the 2020 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Thursday, January 16th. This draft eligible prospects game is held annually by the Canadian Hockey League in association with National Hockey League Central Scouting.
This year, 40 players from across the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League selected by NHL clubs to compete in the 25th annual showcase game. Teams will be divided into Team White and Team Red by NHL Central Scouting.
Fourteen WHL players will represent the league at the annual event, including two goaltenders, five defencemen, and seven forwards.
Suiting up with Team White from the WHL will be goaltender Dylan Garand, defencemen Kaiden Guhle, Luke Prokop, Braden Schneider, and Christoffer Sedoff as well as forwards Ridly Greig, Seth Jarvis, and Connor Zary. Representing the WHL on Team Red will be goaltender Brock Gould, defencemen Kasper Puutio, and forwards Jack Finley, Jake Neighbours, Justin Sourdif, and Ozzy Wiesblatt.
Top CHL scorer Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic, and gold medalilist from Team Canada World Junior Championship headlines Team White talent that includes a total of six ‘A’ rated prospects from NHL Central Scouting’s November list. Among those players are a trio of Team Canada Selection Camp invites including defenceman Schneider (Brandon Wheat Kings), plus forward Cole Perfetti (Saginaw Spirit) and Zary (Kamloops Blazers). They’ll be joined by World Junior talents that include Slovakian goaltender Samuel Hlavaj (Sherbrooke Phoenix) and Czech Republic forward Jaromir Pytlik (Soo Greyhounds).
A total of 16 different CHL teams are represented on Team White including six OHL, six WHL, and four QMJHL teams. Schneider will play alongside fellow Wheat King Greig, Pytlik alongside fellow Greyhound Ryan O’Rourke, and Zary with fellow Blazer Garand. Team White will also include two Shawinigan Cataractes in forwards Mavrik Bourque and Vasily Ponomarev.
Team Red features 10 “a” rated prospects on the roster including Canadian National Junior Team members Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves), Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters), and Dawson Mercer (Drummondville Voltigeurs). Team Canada goaltender Nico Daws (Guelph Storm) will also play for Team Red, as will leading OHL scorer Marco Rossi (Ottawa 67’s). A total of 17 CHL clubs are represented on Team Red including eight OHL, six WHL, and three QMJHL teams. Rossi will compete alongside fellow 67’s forward Jack Quinn, and Mercer will have Voltigeurs defenceman Thimo Nickl on his side. London Knights teammates Antonio Stranges and Luke Evangelista will also compete together on Team Red.
Team White will be coached by George Burnett (Guelph Storm) and Trevor Letowski (Windsor Spitfires), while Team Red will be led by Rob Wilson (Peterborough Petes) and Vince Laise (Hamilton Bulldogs).
2020 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Rosters
Team White
Goaltenders:
Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers)
Samuel Hlavaj (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
Defencemen:
Kaiden Guhle (Prince Albert Raiders)
Ryan O’Rourke (Soo Greyhounds)
Luke Prokop (Calgary Hitmen)
Braden Schneider (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Christoffer Sedoff (Red Deer Rebels)
Jack Thompson (Sudbury Wolves)
Forwards:
Mavrik Bourque (Shawinigan Cataractes)
Brandon Coe (North Bay Battalion)
Will Cuylle (Windsor Spitfires)
Tyson Foerster (Barrie Colts)
Ryan Francis (Cape Breton Eagles)
Ridly Greig (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Seth Jarvis (Portland Winterhawks)
Alexis Lafreniere (Rimouski Oceanic)
Cole Perfetti (Saginaw Spirit)*
Vasily Ponomarev (Shawinigan Cataractes)
Jaromir Pytlik (Soo Greyhounds)
Connor Zary (Kamloops Blazers)
Staff
Head Coach – George Burnett (Guelph Storm)
Associate Coach – Trevor Letowski (Windsor Spitfires)
Athletic Therapist – Amy Mausser (Sarnia Sting)
Equipment Manager – J.R. Grant (Windsor Spitfires)
Team Red
Goaltenders:
Nico Daws (Guelph Storm)
Brock Gould (Victoria Royals)
Defencemen
Lukas Cormier (Charlottetown Islanders)
Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters)
Thimo Nickl (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
Jeremie Poirier (Saint John Sea Dogs)
Kasper Puutio (Swift Current Broncos)
Donovan Sebrango (Kitchener Rangers)
Forwards
Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves)
Luke Evangelista (London Knights)
Jack Finley (Spokane Chiefs)
Jean-Luc Foudy (Windsor Spitfires)
Dawson Mercer (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
Jake Neighbours (Edmonton Oil Kings)
Jacob Perreault (Sarnia Sting)
Jack Quinn (Ottawa 67’s)
Marco Rossi (Ottawa 67’s)
Justin Sourdif (Vancouver Giants)
Antonio Stranges (London Knights)
Ozzy Wiesblatt (Prince Albert Raiders)
Staff:
Head Coach – Rob Wilson (Peterborough Petes)
Associate Coach – Vince Laise (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Athletic Therapist – JP Laciak (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Equipment Manager – Kasey LaMorre (Hamilton Bulldogs)
The 2020 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is proudly supported by new title partner Kubota Canada, and CHL associate partners CIBC, Kia Canada, and Cooper Tires. The game will be broadcast live across Canada on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
Tickets are on sale for the 2020 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at ticketmaster.ca or call 855-985-4357. For group and promotional inquiries, please contact the Hamilton Bulldogs at 905-529-8500.
For more information please visit http://kubotatopprospects.ca.