Guelph Storm to host 2018 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game
Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League in association with Sherwin-Williams, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Guelph Storm Hockey Club, today announced that the 2018 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will be hosted by the Storm at Sleeman Centre on Thursday January 25, 2018.
The 2018 event will mark the 23rd annual showcase of the CHL’s top-40 NHL draft eligible players featuring talent from the Ontario Hockey League, the Western Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League competing before hundreds of NHL scouts in attendance.
“The Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is a true showcase of our league’s rising stars and the next wave of NHL talent,” said CHL President David Branch. “On behalf of the Canadian Hockey League, we are very pleased to bring this event to the City of Guelph and the Storm organization for what will surely be a special experience for the players and an exciting game for the fans.”
Guelph will become the 15th different Canadian city to host the event following the likes of Toronto (1996-98, 2000, 2011), Calgary (1999, 2001, 2014), Saskatoon (2002), Kitchener (2003), London (2004), Vancouver (2005, 2016), Ottawa (2006), Quebec City (2007, 2017), Edmonton (2008), Oshawa (2009), Windsor (2010), Kelowna (2012), Halifax (2013), and St. Catharines (2015).
“We are extremely excited to bring such a prestigious event to the city of Guelph,” said Storm Governor Rick Gaetz. “For our great fans, our partners and of course our players, we are thrilled to be the next world class host for this elite game.”
The Storm have had 18 players compete in this event including representation by forwards Isaac Ratcliffe and Nate Schnarr this season in Quebec. Nine former Storm were chosen in the first round of the NHL Draft following event participation including Manny Malhotra (New York Rangers 1998), Daniel Paille (Buffalo 2002), Dustin Brown (Los Angeles 2003), Ryan Parent (Nashville 2005), Thomas McCollum (Detroit 2008), Drew Doughty (Los Angeles 2008), Peter Holland (Anaheim 2009), Jason Dickinson (Dallas 2013), and Robby Fabbri (St. Louis 2014).
“As the official paint sponsor of the CHL, the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is a highlight for Sherwin-Williams,” said Paul Clifford, President and General Manager, Sherwin-Williams. “We are honoured to continue our great partnership with the CHL, and we look forward to cheering on some great on-ice talent next year in Guelph.”
Since the event was first introduced in 1996 the game has featured 13 players that were selected with the first overall pick in the NHL Draft including Chris Phillips (1996), Joe Thornton (1997), Vincent Lecavalier (1998), Rick Nash (2002), Marc-Andre Fleury (2003), Patrick Kane (2007), Steven Stamkos (2008), John Tavares (2009), Taylor Hall (2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Nathan MacKinnon (2013), Aaron Ekblad (2014), and Connor McDavid (2015). This season, 33 of the top-62 ranked North American skaters eligible for the 2017 NHL Draft competed on January 30 in Quebec City. Top ranked Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings captained Team Cherry to a 7-5 victory over Team Orr, captained by number two ranked Nico Hischier of the Halifax Mooseheads who was named Player of the Game with a goal and two assists.
The 2018 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is proudly supported by title partner Sherwin-Williams, and CHL associate sponsors CIBC, Cooper Tire, and autoTRADER.ca. The game will be broadcast live on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
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