Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game returns to Quebec City
The Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game returns to Quebec City for the first time since 2007 as 40 of the CHL’s top draft eligible prospects take to the ice in the 22nd annual showcase.
This year marks the third time a QMJHL market will host the event following Quebec City in 2007 and Halifax in 2013. The brand new 18,000-seat Centre Videotron that opened its doors in September 2015 will provide a state-of-the-art venue for the highly anticipated game.
The 2007 event was held across the parking lot at the Colisee Pepsi, the former home of the NHL’s Quebec Nordiques and host of the 1971, 1991, 2003 and 2015 Mastercard Memorial Cups.
Introducing the 40 players named to 2017 @SherwinWilliams #CHL / #NHL Top Prospects Game Rosters.#SWTP DETAILS: https://t.co/iU629nBZvB pic.twitter.com/85Nki2F9ot
— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) December 14, 2016
In that game, Quebec Remparts forward Ruslan Bashkirov scored a pair of goals in front of the home crowd to lead Team Burns-Bergeron to a 5-3 victory over Team Bowman-Demers before a crowd of 7,762. Current day NHL standouts in Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks/London Knights), Logan Couture (San Jose Sharks/Ottawa 67’s), Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia Flyers/Halifax Mooseheads), Karl Alzner (Washington Capitals/Calgary Hitmen), Sam Gagner (Columbus Blue Jackets/London Knights) and Brandon Sutter (Vancouver Canucks/Red Deer Rebels) competed in the event. All 16 CHL players selected in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft took part in the game.
Bashkirov, who went on to play in the KHL, Russia’s top professional hockey league, was a second round pick by the Ottawa Senators in 2007. He is one of 16 Remparts players to ever compete in the event. That list also includes prominent names such as Simon Gagne (1998), Maxime Ouellet (1999), Angelo Esposito (2007) and Anthony Duclair (2013).
Team Orr enters this year’s showcase with wins in six straight Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Games, compiling an overall record of 13-4-0-0.
The most recent installment featured a 3-2 Team Orr triumph at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, BC last year. Philadelphia Flyers prospect Pascal Laberge (Victoriaville Tigres) scored twice and added an assist while Columbus Blue Jackets first round pick Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) had a goal and two helpers to pave the way to victory.
A total of 15 players from the 2016 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game were first round NHL draft selections while an additional 12 heard their names called in the second round. Matthew Tkachuk (Calgary Flames/London Knights) and Jakob Chychrun (Arizona Coyotes/Sarnia Sting) have both already made the jump to the NHL while Alexander Nylander (Buffalo Sabres/Mississauga Steelheads) has spent this season in the AHL.
A total of 40 CHL players, including 17 that received ‘A’ ratings on NHL Central Scouting’s November Players to Watch List have been named to rosters for the 2017 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
Tickets for the game on January 30th at 7:00pm ET are now on sale. For ticket information, call the box office at 1-855-780-1245 or visit ticketmaster.ca.
