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Ten WHL Players Named to Team CHL for 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge

October 22, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Calgary, Alta. - The Western Hockey League announced today 10 players representing nine WHL Clubs will compete for Team CHL at the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada.

The Canadian Hockey League announced the 22-player roster Tuesday morning. The 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge is scheduled to be contested November 26 and 27 in London and Oshawa, Ont.

The CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see the top first-year NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the CHL faceoff against USA Hockey's National Team Development Program (NTDP) Under-18 Team.

Team CHL - WHL Players

Last Name First Name Team Hometown Ht Wt Pos

Bear Carter Everett Silvertips West St. Paul, Man. 6'0" 177 C

Cootes Braeden Seattle Thunderbirds Sherwood Park, Alta. 6'0" 183 C

Kindel Benjamin Calgary Hitmen Coquitlam, B.C. 5'10" 175 C

Lakovic Lynden Moose Jaw Warriors West Kelowna, B.C. 6'4" 190 LW

Reschny Cole Victoria Royals Macklin, Sask. 5'10" 187 C

Schmidt Cameron Vancouver Giants Prince George, B.C. 5'7" 156 RW

Fiddler Blake Edmonton Oil Kings Frisco, Texas 6'4" 210 D

Hamilton Reese Calgary Hitmen Whitewood, Sask. 6'1" 169 D

Smith Jackson Tri-City Americans Calgary, Alta. 6'3" 190 D

Ravensbergen Joshua Prince George Cougars North Vancouver, B.C. 6'5" 192 G

In addition to the 10 WHL players named to the roster, Brandon Wheat Kings forward Roger McQueen was also selected but will be unable to participate due to a long-term injury.

The 10 WHL players named to Team CHL include six forwards, three defencemen, and one goaltender.

The 22 players on Team CHL were selected from a list of the top 2025 NHL Draft prospects as generated by a survey conducted with all 32 NHL Clubs. Using that list of players, the CHL coaching staff comprised of Head Coach Kris Mallette (Kelowna Rockets), assistant coaches Gordie Dwyer (Acadie-Bathurst Titan, QMJHL) and Ryan Oulahen (North Bay Battalion, OHL) along with General Manager Dave Brown (Erie Otters, OHL) worked to identify the final 13 forwards, seven defencemen, and two goaltenders.

The Calgary Hitmen lead all WHL Clubs with two players set to attend the CHL's new showcase.

Vancouver Giants right winger Cameron Schmidt will participate in the inaugural event. The 5-foot-7, 156-pound product of Prince George is tied for the WHL scoring lead with 19 points in 11 games. His 12 goals rank first in the WHL - three goals ahead of the two players tied for second in WHL goal scoring.

Of the six WHL forwards named to the roster, five lead their respective Clubs in points, with Ben Kindel tied for second in scoring among all Hitmen players.

Lynden Lakovic, a late 2006-born forward, was a member of the Moose Jaw Warriors squad that won the 2024 WHL Championship.

Prince George Cougars netminder Joshua Ravensbergen, who was undrafted into the WHL, leads all WHL goaltenders with six wins this season.

Edmonton Oil Kings blueliner Blake Fiddler is the lone American-born player on Team CHL. Hailing from Frisco, Texas, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Fiddler captained the U.S. squad that competed at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton this past summer.

Of the 10 WHL players named to Team CHL, six represented Canada and won gold at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton, including Braeden Cootes, Reese Hamilton, Kindel, Cole Reschny, Schmidt, and Jackson Smith.

Building off one of hockey's greatest rivalries, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see players from the CHL and NTDP's U-18 team compete before hundreds of NHL scouts and thousands of fans in an effort to improve their draft stock ahead of the NHL Draft.

Tickets for both games are available for purchase online:

Tickets for Game 1 at London

Tickets for Game 2 at Oshawa

Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday, November 26 at Canada Life Place in London, Ont., while Game 2 is set for Wednesday, November 27 at Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa, Ont.

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