The quality and quantity of 2023 N-H-L Draft Prospects with ties to Saskatchewan will get to showcase their talents in January against their peers and in front of managers and scouts.
Saskatoon products Riley Heidt, Brayden Yager and Caden Price, Blades defenceman Tanner Molendyk, Shaunovan native Kalan Lind and Regina Pats’ phenom Connor Bedard are among 40 players invited Monday to take part in the 2023 C-H-L-N-H-L Top Prospects Game, being held January 25 in Langley, B-C. Heidt and Yager are forwards with Prince George and Moose Jaw, respectively, Price patrols the blueline for Kelowna, Lind is a forward with Red Deer while Bedard leads the W-H-L in goals, assists and points and is the consensus first overall pick comes next June. Following is the news release from the W-H-L…..
19 WHL PLAYERS SELECTED FOR 2023 KUBOTA CHL/NHL TOP PROSPECTS GAME
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022
Calgary, Alta. – The Canadian Hockey League announced today the 40 players invited to compete in the 2023 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
Slated for January 25 at the Langley Events Centre, the 2023 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game showcases the top-40 CHL players eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft from across the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The 40 players were identified via a survey conducted with the NHL’s 32 teams.
In all, the 40 players count 19 from the WHL – headlined by 2023 NHL Draft favourite and North Vancouver, B.C., native Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats – as well as 15 players from the OHL and six from the QMJHL. Additionally, 32 CHL clubs are represented by at least one player, led by the Seattle Thunderbirds with three, plus six other clubs with multiple representatives including the host Vancouver Giants counting left-wing Samuel Honzek and centre Jaden Lipinski.
| POS | NAME | TEAM | BIRTH DATE | HOMETOWN |
| G | Carson Bjarnason | Brandon (WHL) | 30-Jun-05 | Carberry, Manitoba |
| G | Scott Ratzlaff | Seattle (WHL) | 9-Mar-05 | Irma, Alberta |
| G | Charlie Robertson | North Bay (OHL) | 2-Apr-05 | London, Ontario |
| G | Jackson Unger | Moose Jaw (WHL) | 13-Jan-05 | Calgary, Alberta |
| D | Beau Akey | Barrie (OHL) | 11-Feb-05 | Waterloo, Ontario |
| D | Cameron Allen | Guelph (OHL) | 7-Jan-05 | Toronto, Ontario |
| D | Oliver Bonk | London (OHL) | 9-Jan-05 | Ottawa, Ontario |
| D | Hunter Brzustewicz | Kitchener (OHL) | 29-Nov-04 | Washington, Michigan |
| D | Luca Cagnoni | Portland (WHL) | 21-Dec-04 | Burnaby, British Columbia |
| D | Lukas Dragicevic | Tri-City (WHL) | 25-Apr-05 | Richmond, British Columbia |
| D | Andrew Gibson | Soo (OHL) | 13-Feb-05 | LaSalle, Ontario |
| D | Matteo Mann | Chicoutimi (QMJHL) | 31-Dec-04 | Sackville, New Brunswick |
| D | Tanner Molendyk | Saskatoon (WHL) | 3-Feb-05 | McBride, British Columbia |
| D | Etienne Morin | Moncton (QMJHL) | 9-Mar-05 | Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec |
| D | Caden Price | Kelowna (WHL) | 24-Aug-05 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| D | Jordan Tourigny | Shawinigan (QMJHL) | 28-Feb-05 | Victoriaville, Quebec |
| LW | Colby Barlow | Owen Sound (OHL) | 14-Feb-05 | Orillia, Ontario |
| C | Connor Bedard | Regina (WHL) | 17-Jul-05 | North Vancouver, British Columbia |
| C | Zach Benson | Winnipeg (WHL) | 12-May-05 | Chilliwack, British Columbia |
| LW | Mathieu Cataford | Halifax (QMJHL) | 1-Mar-05 | Saint-Constant, Quebec |
| LW | Andrew Cristall | Kelowna (WHL) | 4-Feb-05 | Burnaby, British Columbia |
| C | Nate Danielson | Brandon (WHL) | 27-Sep-04 | Red Deer, Alberta |
| C | Ethan Gauthier | Sherbrooke (QMJHL) | 26-Jan-05 | Phoenix, Arizona |
| C | Riley Heidt | Prince George (WHL) | 25-Mar-05 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| LW | Samuel Honzek | Vancouver (WHL) | 12-Nov-04 | Trencin, Slovakia |
| RW | Nick Lardis | Peterborough (OHL) | 8-Jul-05 | Oakville, Ontario |
| C | Kalan Lind | Red Deer (WHL) | 25-Jan-05 | Shaunavon, Saskatchewan |
| C | Jaden Lipinski | Vancouver (WHL) | 2-Dec-04 | Scottsdale, Arizona |
| LW | Ethan Miedema | Windsor (OHL) | 22-Mar-05 | Cobourg, Ontario |
| LW | Quentin Musty | Sudbury (OHL) | 6-Jul-05 | Hamburg, New York |
| RW | Nico Myatovic | Seattle (WHL) | 1-Dec-04 | Prince George, British Columbia |
| RW | Tyler Peddle | Drummondville (QMJHL) | 28-Jan-05 | Antigonish, Nova Scotia |
| LW | Luca Pinelli | Ottawa (OHL) | 5-Apr-05 | Stoney Creek, Ontario |
| RW | Coulson Pitre | Flint (OHL) | 13-Dec-04 | Stouffville, Ontario |
| C | Carson Rehkopf | Kitchener (OHL) | 7-Jan-05 | Vaughan, Ontario |
| C | Calum Ritchie | Oshawa (OHL) | 21-Jan-05 | Oakville, Ontario |
| C | Gracyn Sawchyn | Seattle (WHL) | 19-Jan-05 | Grande Prairie, Alberta |
| C | Carey Terrance | Erie (OHL) | 10-May-05 | Akwesasne, New York |
| C | Brayden Yager | Moose Jaw (WHL) | 3-Jan-05 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| RW | Koehn Ziemmer | Prince George (WHL) | 8-Dec-04 | Mayerthorpe, Alberta |
Team rosters and leadership groups for the 2023 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will be announced at a later date.
With a majority of tickets already sold, fans are encouraged to act quickly to secure their seat to the 2023 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. Tickets begin at $29.95 plus applicable taxes and fees and are available online, by telephone at 604-882-8800, and in person at the Langley Events Centre ticket office (Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sat.-Sun., 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., and until the end of the first period on Giants game days).
The Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game was last held in Kitchener in March 2022 where Team White defeated Team Red 3-1. Jagger Firkus (Team White/Moose Jaw) and Shane Wright (Team Red/Kingston) were named Players of the Game and were both later selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2022 NHL Draft. In all, 38 players who competed in the 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game were chosen in the 2022 NHL Draft headlined by Wright at fourth overall.
Since its reintroduction as the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in 1996, the event has featured 15 players who were later selected first overall in the NHL Draft including Alexis Lafreniere (2020), Nico Hischier (2017), Connor McDavid (2015), Aaron Ekblad (2014), Nathan MacKinnon (2013), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Taylor Hall (2010), John Tavares (2009), Steven Stamkos (2008), Patrick Kane (2007), Marc-Andre Fleury (2003), Rick Nash (2002), Vincent Lecavalier (1998), Joe Thornton (1997), and Chris Phillips (1996).
With more than 1,300 players competing for 60 teams across Canada and the United States, the CHL is home to the NHL stars of tomorrow with live game action available on CHL TV, accessible via the CHL App, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and online. The 2023 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game airs live from the Langley Events Centre on TSN, TSN.ca, the TSN App, and RDS on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023 at 7 p.m. Pacific.
