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OHL North Bay Battalion

Clarke to Participate in Top Prospects

December 13, 2013 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Left winger Blake Clarke of the Ontario Hockey League's North Bay Battalion has been selected to play in the BMO CHL-NHL Top Prospects Game, it was announced Friday.

The game, to be played Jan. 15 at Calgary, features 40 players from across the Canadian Hockey League who are first-time eligible for the National Hockey League Draft in 2014. The players are chosen by the 30 NHL clubs and divided into two teams by the league's central scouting department.

"It should be a great opportunity to go out there and impress some of the hockey minds of the world," said Clarke, a resident of Wildwood, Mo.

"I know all teams will be represented there, and obviously it'll be top players not only from our league but from Quebec and the Western League, so it's a good chance to see how you stack up against everyone else." Clarke, who missed 14 games this season with a shoulder injury, has one goal and one assist in 19 games. He was the Battalion's first-round pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection from the St. Louis Blues under-18 team, scoring 19 goals and earning 32 assists for 51 points as a rookie last season with the Brampton Battalion. He added three goals and three assists for six points in five playoff games.

Clarke said he had limited access to the CHL as a youngster but knew of the Top Prospects Game.

"I've always watched it back home. That was pretty much the only exposure I had to CHL hockey. You'd see it once a year on the NHL Network when I was growing up. "I definitely don't think it's an all-star game. It's pretty physical, and everyone wants to go out there and show their stuff, so they have to play hard." Clarke, who turns 18 on Jan. 24, is one of 20 OHLers named to the game. The Western Hockey League is slated to have 13 players in the showcase and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League seven.

Clarke will play for Team Orr, coached by Lanny McDonald, against Team Cherry, coached by Jim Peplinski.

The game is to be televised nationally by Sportsnet starting at 9 p.m. ET.

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