The Canadian Hockey League has announced that the 2024 NHL/CHL Top Prospects Game has been awarded to Moncton, New Brunswick.
The game will take place at the Avenir Centre on Jan. 24, 2024. This is the second time the event has taken place in Atlantic Canada, with Halifax hosting it back in 2013.
Moncton recently co-hosted the 2023 World Junior Championship and is home to the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. The Wildcats last won the league title in 2009-10 and are playoff bound in 2023, sitting seventh with a 33-29-2-2 record.
The CHL Top Prospects Game is hosted each winter, pitting the best draft-eligible talent from across the three Canadian major junior leagues. Connor Bedard and Zach Benson highlighted the 2023 event at the Langley Events Centre, not far from Vancouver.
While it’s still early, some of the key participants next year could include Regina’s Tanner Howe, London’s Sam Dickinson, Spokane’s Berkly Catton and Swift Current’s Clarke Caswell, among others. Moncton could send Adam Fortier-Gendron, a rookie defenseman after getting taken 14th overall at the 2022 QMJHL Draft.
Rosters are selected by members of all 32 NHL teams, focusing on getting as much of the top CHL talent together a few days of on and off-ice testing, as well as the game itself. Many top draft picks, including Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Patrick Kane, Steven Stamkos and Nathan MacKinnon, have all taken part.
Last year, 38 of the 40 players that participated were taken in the 2022 NHL Draft, including Shane Wright, who led the way after getting taken fourth overall by Seattle. A total of 13 of the top 20 North American-based skaters in the NHL Central Scouting’s most recent ranking currently play in the Canadian Hockey League.
More must-reads: