CHL announces new national event

The Canadian Hockey League unveiled its new national event on Wednesday, which will feature a rare partnership between the CHL and USA Hockey.

From the CHL news release:

Building off of one of hockey’s greatest rivalries between Canada and the United States, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see the top first-year NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the CHL’s three-member leagues – Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) – face off against those from USA Hockey’s NTDP in a two-game series.

 

During the series, players from both the CHL and NTDP competing in this event will play before hundreds of NHL scouts and thousands of fans in an effort to improve their draft stock ahead of the upcoming NHL Draft. Players for the CHL team will be provided by NHL Central Scouting as selected by the NHL’s 32 clubs, and much like other national events in the CHL, the hosting duties of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will rotate between the CHL’s three-member league markets each year. The first edition of this new event is set to take place in November 2024 with specific details on the date, location, and event format to come at a later date.

The event essentially replaces both the Canada Russia Series and the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. The game should be much more intense than the previous Top Prospects Game format. It will also give Canadian fans a great chance to see the USNTDP team in person, a team that is often loaded with top talent for the NHL Draft.

The Canada Russia Series hasn't been played since the pandemic and is unlikely to resume in the near future. While Canada/Russia is a classic (and still good) rivalry, there is a new generation of fans that would likely consider the United States to be Canada's biggest hockey rival now.

One noteworthy item from the release is that the CHL specifically calls out that the event "will rotate between the CHL’s three-member league markets each year." That was never something officially official with the Top Prospects Game.