Photo by Eric Young, CHL
The first ever CHL USA Prospects Challenge has now ended, and just looking at the stats you might not think it was worth it.
The CHL won both games in London and Oshawa by a combined score of 9-3 through the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. The shots were even more lopsided, and in Oshawa the game would have been much worse than 3-2 had NTDP goalkeeper Harrison Boettiger not put in a huge effort while his team was outshot 38-12.
So was it worth it? Certainly.
On paper, this year’s games heavily favored the CHL, which had 15 A-rated skaters from the Central Scouting roster for the 2025 NHL draft, compared to two on the NTDP.
America’s kids were also missing some of their best draft-eligible players – late 2006 birthday players already in college like James Hagens, Logan Hensler and Shane Vansaghi. That said, it was a great opportunity to see the NTDP kids play against the most elite competition in their age group.
To me, forwards like Jack Murtagh and William Belle were the best NTDP skaters in Oshawa, giving it everything they had against potential top five picks like Porter Martone, Michael Misa and Matthew Schaefer. And for the NTDP, this was just another test for their kids as “The Program” tries to prepare them for college, the pros and hopefully one day the NHL.
“We purposely place our players in very challenging environments to develop experience and growth,” said NTDP coach Greg Moore. “We play college teams with players that are 22, 23 and sometimes 25-year-old men. It builds character and resilience, and in these two games they never gave up or gave up.”
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After being swamped 6-1 in London, the NTDP refocused in Oshawa. While the CHL dominated the offensive time, the American squad blocked a ton of shots, got sticks in the lanes and fought hard for their MVP goalie Boettiger.
“It was exactly what you would expect,” Moore said. “There’s a lot of talent there, some really good players. They were very competitive and there was a lot of pride on both sides. It got very heated and I thought both teams held their own.”
Indeed, there were plenty of extracurricular activities as the game progressed, including a few 5-on-5 scrums that were as close to fighting as you can get when the NTDP kids were wearing their usual full cages/bubbles on their heads. helmets.
“It was kind of a weird game with them in cages and us in visors,” said Caleb Desnoyers, the CHL player of the game in Oshawa. “But in the end we managed to be quite tough and more physical with them.”
And despite being on the losing side, the NTDP kids had a lot of fun – and certainly didn’t mind the rough stuff.
“It’s a big rivalry game and everyone is super competitive,” center Cole McKinney said. “At times like that, everyone wants an edge and everyone is excited. It’s a really fun environment to play in.”
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The event also received full marks from CHL coach, Kris Mallette.
“Honestly, I would like to see it be a five-match series,” he said. “Something early, and maybe later in the season, like a rivalry series.”
The CHL and NTDP have at least two more of these events planned for the next few years, and perhaps Mallette will get its expansion wish. He had already coached many of his CHL stars during last summer’s Hlinka-Gretzky Tournament, and depending on the CHL’s playoff results, some of these kids could be teammates again at the Men’s Under-18 World Cup in Dallas. That’s where most of the NTDP kids will be, as that tournament is the culmination of their two years with “The Program.” Getting to play against the top draft prospects in the CHL can only help them in their goal of winning gold as Team USA at the end of the year.
“We don’t like to lose – we don’t accept it or we’re not okay with it – but they know the challenges we throw at them,” Moore said. “This experience will help us, especially for April and the under-18 world. They will be able to look back on this challenge and how they overcame some obstacles and had to find their game. All these experiences will help us big in the end.”
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