Nov
Photo Credit to Eric Young / CHL
Team CHL Dominates in Game 1 of the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge
London, ON – The inaugural 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, presented by Kubota Canada, kicked off in solid fashion on Tuesday night as Team CHL delivered a commanding 6-1 victory over the U.S. National Under-18 Team at Canada Life Place in London, Ontario. The event, designed to showcase top 2025 NHL Draft-eligible talent, saw nice performances from several prospects, with HockeyProspect.com’s top-ranked 2025 NHL Draft prospect Matthew Schaefer enjoying the spotlight.
Schaefer Shines
Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters, OHL) earned Player of the Game honors after a solid performance, contributing a goal and an assist to the CHL’s offensive surge. His highlight-reel goal in the second period epitomized his skill and poise.
“I picked the puck up behind the net, saw there was room to skate and saw the D was flat footed, so I turned on the jets and drove the net—it went in,” Schaefer told media during the postgame scrum.
“I have seen him play better numerous times, but Schaefer gave fans the end to end goal that gives NHL Draft fans an idea of what he is capable of and a little taste of why we have him ranked as our top prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft. ” HP Scout Mark Edwards noted after the game.
Scoring Summary
Team CHL’s scoring depth was on full display, with contributions from six different players:
- Lynden Lakovic (Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL): Opened the scoring on a breakaway at 5:44 of the first period with a beautiful stretch pass from Ben Kindel (Calgary Hitmen, WHL).
- Cameron Schmidt (Vancouver Giants, WHL): Doubled the lead just 38 seconds into the second frame with a snipe from the right faceoff circle.
- Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds, OHL): Capitalized on a fortuitous bounce to make it 3-0 midway through the second.
- Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters, OHL): Drove coast-to-coast for the team’s fourth goal.
- Malcolm Spence (Erie Otters, OHL): Scored on a rebound after a strong play by Michael Misa (Saginaw Spirit, OHL).
- Kashawn Aitcheson (Barrie Colts, OHL): Sealed the deal with a long point shot late in the third, confirmed via video review.
Jack Murtagh, HockeyProspect.com’s top ranked prospect from the NTDP netted the USA lone goal with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.
Solid Between the Pipes
Joshua Ravensbergen (Prince George Cougars, WHL) stood tall in net for Team CHL, making 15 saves and even picking up an assist. His calm presence was lauded by head coach Kris Mallette (Kelowna Rockets, WHL).
“Ravensbergen was solid when they needed him, He didn’t make a whole bunch of perfectly clean saves though, Very likeable kid in the postgame” HP Scout Mark Edwards said.
Looking Ahead to Game 2
With a dominant Game 1 victory, Team CHL shifts focus to the second and final game of the series tonight at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa, Ontario. Fans can catch the action live on TSN in Canada, NHL Network, and CHL TV. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
“It was a great game tonight, and we’ll focus on tomorrow” – Schaefer said.
HP Scout Mark Edwards had a few other quick post game comments. “First, the NHL scouts I spoke to didn’t love the ice time distribution. It’s a showcase created for the scouts to see as many players as possible. “Just roll the 4 lines” More than one NHL Team scout noted. I thought the game started fantastic and it was great to see some hatred between two teams in a prospects game but that didn’t last very long. Once the CHL started to domininate which was not a surprise to anyone, the game lost it’s lustre and looked more event like gain. That said, I hope this format sticks. The Russia series was better, but this beats the regular Top Prospects game.”
Edwards noted some average performances – “I actually thought quite a few players played very average games compared to some of my other viewings of them – some heavy feet for a few guys and some Dmen struggled moving pucks. I am a big Desnoyers fan and I have seen him have much better nights at the office as one example. Aitcheson did a good job showing what he is all about, if I was Mace’o Philips agent I wouldn’t have been upset if he dropped the gloves, got the cage off and faught Aitcheson.”
“I’ll be heading to Oshawa for game 2 – hoping the icetime minutes get mixed up a bit and Carter Bear has shaken his stomach woes.” Edwards commented.