Press Release

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced the roster for Team Russia that will compete in the 2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series which begins on Monday November 7 in Prince George, BC.

A team of 23 Russian players including three goaltenders, eight defencemen, and 12 forwards will travel across Canada as part of the 14th annual series playing six games against CHL competition from November 7-17 in preparation for the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship hosted by Toronto and Montreal.

Team Russia features several players with NHL affiliations including Philadelphia Flyers first round pick German Rubtsov, Calgary Flames prospect Pavel Karnaukhov, and Nashville Predators prospect Konstantin Volkov.  The roster also includes 17-year-old forward Klim Kostin who is a top prospect for the 2017 NHL Draft.  Team Russia is led once again by head coach Valery Bragin making his fifth appearance and third straight year behind the bench at this event.  In his tenure as head coach of the Russian National Junior Team the program has earned World Junior gold (2011 in Buffalo), and three silver medals (2016 in Finland, 2015 in Toronto, 2012 in Calgary).

An additional 10 Russian-born CHL players will compete in various games of the series including four from the WHL, four OHL, and two QMJHL players.  The WHL players competing in Prince George on November 7 and Edmonton on November 8 include 2017 NHL Draft top prospects Artem Minulin of the Swift Current Broncos and Nikita Popugaev of the Moose Jaw Warriors.  Washington Capitals prospect Dmitry Zaitsev of the Warriors and New York Rangers prospect Sergey Zborovskiy of the Regina Pats will also compete.  In the OHL, Montreal Canadiens prospect Mikhail Sergachev of the Windsor Spitfires and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nikita Korostelev of the Sarnia Sting will compete in North Bay on November 10 and Hamilton on November 14, while Minnesota Wild prospect Dmitry Sokolov of the Sudbury Wolves and Artur Tyanulin of the Ottawa 67’s will only compete in North Bay.  In the QMJHL, a pair of Gatineau Olympiques will compete in Chicoutimi on November 15 and Baie-Comeau on November 17 including Predators prospect Yakov Trenin and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Vitalii Abramov.

Team Russia has captured three series victories in 2014, 2012, and 2010.

2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series – Team Russia:

Most recent club team listed in brackets

Goaltenders:

Anton Krasotkin (HK Ryazan – VHL)
Vladislav Sukhachev (Chelmet Chelyabinsk – VHL)
Konstantin Volkov (SKA-1946 St. Petersburg –  MHL)

Defencemen:
Artem Chmykhov (CSKA Moscow – KHL)
Grigory Dronov (Metallurg Magnitogorsk – KHL)
Timur Fatkullin (Metallurg Novokuznetsk – KHL)
Kamil Fazylzyanov (Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk – KHL)
Ruslan Petrishchev (Toros Neftekamsk – VHL)
Alexander Shchemerov (Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg – KHL)
Artem Volkov (Dynamo Balashikha – KHL)
Egor Zaitsev (Dynamo Balashikha – VHL)

Forwards:

Denis Alexeev (HK Ryazan – VHL)
Kirill Belyaev (Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk – KHL)
Nikita Dynyak (Dynamo St. Petersburg – VHL)
Pavel Karnaukhov (Zvezda Chekhov – VHL)
Klim Kostin (Dynamo Moscow – KHL)
Roman Krikunenko (HK Ryazan – VHL)
Danila Kvartalnov (CSKA Moscow – KHL)
Nikita Li (Spartak Moscow – KHL)
German Rubtsov (Vityaz Podolsk – KHL)
Kirill Urakov (Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod – KHL)
Alexander Volkov (SKA-Neva St. Petersburg – VHL)
Danil Yurtaykin (HK Ryazan – VHL)

WHL players on Team Russia:

Artem Minulin (Swift Current Broncos)
Nikita Popugaev (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Dmitry Zaitsev (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Sergey Zborovskiy (Regina Pats)

OHL Players on Team Russia:

Nikita Korostelev (Sarnia Sting)
Mikhail Sergachev (Windsor Spitfires)
Dmitry Sokolov (Sudbury Wolves)
Artur Tyanulin (Ottawa 67’s)

QMJHL Players on Team Russia:

Vitalii Abramov (Gatineau Olympiques)
Yakov Trenin (Gatineau Olympiques)

Staff:

Head Coach – Valery Bragin

Assistant Coach – Oleg Bratash

Assistant Coach – Yury Babenko

Goalie Coach – Vladimir Kulikov

Video Coach – Vladislav Krutskikh

General Manager – Alexei Kochetkov

Doctor – Alexander Kostyukov
Doctor – Valery Egorov

Physiotherapist – Artem Timofeev

Equipment Manager – Alexander Rezepov

Media Manager – Petr Tereshchenkov

The 2016 CIBC Canada Russia series is supported by title sponsor and Official Bank of the CHL, CIBC, and CHL associate sponsors Cooper Tire, autoTRADER.ca and Sherwin-Williams.  All games will be broadcast nationally on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series Schedule:

Game 1 – Monday November 7 at Prince George, BC

Game 2 – Tuesday November 8 at Edmonton, AB

Game 3 – Thursday November 10 at North Bay, ON

Game 4 – Monday November 14 at Hamilton, ON

Game 5 – Tuesday November 15 at Chicoutimi, QC

Game 6 – Thursday November 17 at Baie-Comeau, QC

For event information including how to purchase tickets please visit www.chlcanadarussia.ca.

BOUCHERVILLE, Wednesday, October 26, 2016 – The Canadian Hockey League in association with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Chicoutimi Saguenéens and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar announced today the roster composition of the QMJHL all-star team to play Team Russia as part of the 2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series.

The Saguenéens will host the first game of the series to be held at the Georges-Vézina Centre, Tuesday, November 15, while the Drakkar host the second game to be presented at the Henry-Leonard Center on Thursday November 17.

Dominique Ducharme, General Manager and Head Coach of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, will work as Head Coach behind the bench for both games of team QMJHL. Yannick Jean, head coach of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens will support Ducharme as assistant coach. Martin Bernard, head coach of the Drakkar, will also assist Ducharme for the two games.

Dominique Ducharme won a gold medal as an assistant coach of the National Men’s Summer Under-18 team at Canada’s 2013 Memorial Tournament of Ivan Hlinka. Ducharme joined the Voltigeurs after spending the last five seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads, who led the team to its first MasterCard Memorial Cup championship in 2013. Ducharme played seven seasons of professional hockey from 1995 to 2002 particularly in the ECHL, AHL and in Europe.

The three CHL leagues selected a committee who worked hard with Hockey Canada to select the players. A total of 21 players have been chosen. The starting roster for each games will be announced on a future date.

Here is the complete lineup for the 2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series of the CHL :

Goaltenders (2):
Callum Booth (Quebec Remparts)
Evan Fitzpatrick (Sherbrooke Phoenix)

Defencemen (8):
Frederic Allard (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
Simon Bourque (Rimouski Oceanic)
Guillaume Brisebois (Charlottetown Islanders)
Samuel Girard (Shawinigan Cataractes)
Jeremy Lauzon (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
Nicolas Meloche (Gatineau Olympiques)
Philippe Myers (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
Jeremy Roy (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada)

Forwards (12):
Alex Barre-Boulet (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
Jean-Christophe Beaudin (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
Maxime Comtois (Victoriaville Tigres)
Alex Dostie (Gatineau Olympiques)
Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles)
Gabriel Fontaine (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
Alexandre Fortin (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
Julien Gauthier (Val-d’Or Foreurs)
Brandon Gignac (Shawinigan Cataractes)
Pascal Laberge (Victoriaville Tigres)
Mathieu Joseph (Saint John Sea Dogs)
Nicolas Roy (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)

The 2016 CIBC Canada Russia series is supported by title sponsor and Official Bank of the CHL, CIBC, and CHL associate sponsors Cooper Tire, autoTRADER.ca and Sherwin-Williams.  All games will be broadcast nationally on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series Schedule:

Game 1 – Monday November 7 at Prince George, BC

Game 2 – Tuesday November 8 at Edmonton, AB

Game 3 – Thursday November 10 at North Bay, ON

Game 4 – Monday November 14 at Hamilton, ON

Game 5 – Tuesday November 15 at Chicoutimi, QC

Game 6 – Thursday November 17 at Baie-Comeau, QC

For event information including how to purchase tickets please visit www.chlcanadarussia.ca.

Toronto, ON – The Western Hockey League, in collaboration with the Canadian Hockey League, Prince George Cougars, Edmonton Oil Kings and Hockey Canada, announced today the roster for Team WHL, which will compete against Team Russia at the 2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series.

Team WHL will face Team Russia in Game 1 of the 2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series in Prince George, B.C. on Monday, November 7^th, before continuing on to Edmonton for Game 2 on Tuesday, November 8^th. The Ontario Hockey League will host Games 3 and 4, while the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will welcome the festivities surrounding Games 5 and 6.

Team WHL’s roster is laced with NHL prospects yet again this season, including 10 players who were selected in the first two rounds of the NHL Draft. Highly-touted 2017 NHL Draft prospects Nolan Patrick and Cal Foote also cracked the roster for Team WHL as players look to move closer to earning a spot on Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship in December.

Prince George Cougars forward Jansen Harkins, a second round pick of the Winnipeg Jets, will have the opportunity to suit up for Team WHL in front of a hometown crowd when the series opens in Prince George on November 7^th.

When the series shifts to Edmonton on November 8^th, a total of five local players will suit up against Team Russia including Edmonton native and Oilers prospect Tyler Benson. Giorgio Estephan (Edmonton, AB), Sam Steel (Sherwood Park, AB), Brendan Guhle (Sherwood Park, AB) and Carter Hart (Sherwood Park, AB) will also have the opportunity to take to the ice in front of family and friends.

TEAM WHL ROSTER:

Goaltenders:

Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips)
Connor Ingram (Kamloops Blazers)

Defencemen:

Kale Clague (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Cal Foote (Kelowna Rockets)
Brendan Guhle (Prince Albert Raiders)
Connor Hobbs (Regina Pats)
Noah Juulsen (Everett Silvertips)
Parker Wotherspoon (Tri-City Americans)

Forwards:

Tyler Benson (Vancouver Giants)
Dillon Dube (Kelowna Rockets)
Giorgio Estephan (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Jansen Harkins (Prince George Cougars)
Brett Howden (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Nick Merkley (Kelowna Rockets)
Nolan Patrick (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Ty Ronning (Vancouver Giants)
Deven Sideroff (Kamloops Blazers)
Tyler Soy (Victoria Royals)
Sam Steel (Regina Pats)
Austin Wagner (Regina Pats)

Each of the three CHL member Leagues assembled a selection committee, working closely with Hockey Canada, to select the players for this year’s series. This year, Team WHL will be coached by Tim Hunter (Moose Jaw Warriors) who will also serve as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship. Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Steve Hamilton will serve as assistant coach for Team WHL.

The six-game series features regional league teams of Canadian National Junior Team candidates competing against the Russian National Junior Team. For the third straight season, the event will open with two games in the WHL.

Since the event first began in 2003, CHL teams have played to an overall record of 54-18-6 against Team Russia.  The competitiveness of the rivalry has grown in recent years with four of the last six series decided in the final game.  Russia earned their first series victory in 2010 and have since alternated annual series victories with the CHL who earned the 2015 title by a 12-3 margin in points.

The event is an integral part of the identification process for Team Canada prior to the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.  Canada was represented at this season’s World Junior in Finland by 21 CHL players who competed in this series in 2015, while 13 members of Team Russia’s series entry also competed in Helsinki earning a second straight silver medal.

The 2016 CIBC Canada Russia series is supported by CHL associate sponsors Cooper Tire, autoTRADER.ca and Sherwin-Williams.  All games will be broadcast nationally on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series Schedule:

Game 1 – Monday November 7 at Prince George, BC

Game 2 – Tuesday November 8 at Edmonton, AB

Game 3 – Thursday November 10 at North Bay, ON

Game 4 – Monday November 14 at Hamilton, ON

Game 5 – Tuesday November 15 at Chicoutimi, QC

Game 6 – Thursday November 17 at Baie-Comeau, QC

For event information including how to purchase tickets please visit www.chlcanadarussia.ca.

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the appointment of Daniel Broussard as its Director of Player Recruitment.

A 25-year-old from Fayetteville, North Carolina, Broussard will be responsible for developing and implementing league recruitment strategy and activities, and liaising with Minor Midget teams across Ontario and parts of the United States.  He will work closely with Minor Midget players and families to provide them with information and education regarding the opportunities the OHL provides. Broussard will also work closely with the OHL Alumni Association developing ways to grow the program and its annual events.

“The OHL gave me an amazing opportunity not only as a player, but also as a student athlete,” said Broussard. “I was able to use my OHL Scholarship to pursue a University Degree, while at the same time competing at a high level of hockey in the CIS. I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with the next generation of players and their families to share with them all the OHL has to offer.”

Broussard was first introduced to the OHL as a member of the TPH Thunder competing in the 2007 OHL Cup Minor Midget Showcase Tournament.  After being selected in the fourth round of the 2007 OHL Priority Selection by the Sarnia Sting, Broussard made his OHL debut in 2008 and went on to play 218 regular season games including more than three full seasons in Sarnia before finishing his career in 2012 with the Ottawa 67’s.  Following his overage season, Broussard took advantage of his OHL Scholarship and stayed in Ontario to enroll at the University of Guelph.  The defenceman played three seasons with the Gryphons from 2012-15 and served as team captain his final year capturing an OUA Championship and University Cup Bronze.  He graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Marketing Management.

Broussard will commence his duties working out of the league office effective immediately.  He takes over for Adam Dennis who previously held the position for two seasons before joining the North Bay Battalion in the role of Assistant General Manager / Assistant Coach in August.

57 CHL players gather in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Oct. 27-Nov. 5 for international competition

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – Sixty-six of Canada’s best young hockey players have been selected to represent their country at the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Oct. 27-Nov. 5.

The process, which began with 111 players who took part in a seven-day development camp in late July, will be finalized next week when the 66-player roster is divided to make up the three Canadian teams – Team Canada Black, Team Canada Red, and Team Canada White – who will face the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States in their quest for gold.

 CHL Players on Canadian Teams:

 Goaltenders:

Jacob Ingham (Mississauga Steelheads)
Kevin Mandolese (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles)
Olivier Rodrigue (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
Carl Stankowski (Seattle Thunderbirds)

Defencemen:
Calen Addison (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Kevin Bahl (Ottawa 67’s)
Dawson Barteaux (Regina Pats)
Xavier Bernard (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
Xavier Bouchard (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
Dennis Busby (Flint Firebirds)
Declan Chisholm (Peterborough Petes)
Connor Corcoran (Windsor Spitfires)
Noah Dobson (Acadie-Bathurst Titan)
Owen Lalonde (Sudbury Wolves)
Justin MacPherson (Niagara IceDogs)
Jared McIsaac (Halifax Mooseheads)
Ryan Merkley (Guelph Storm)
Carter Robertson (Ottawa 67’s)
Ty Smith (Spokane Chiefs)
Peter Stratis (Ottawa 67’s)
Giovanni Vallati (Kitchener Rangers)
Jett Woo (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Luke Zazula (Kamloops Blazers)

 Forwards:
Elijah Brown (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Luke Burzan (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Andrew Coxhead (Quebec Remparts)
Caiden Daley (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Riley Damiani (Kitchener Rangers)
Ty Dellandrea (Flint Firebirds)
Aidan Dudas (Owen Sound Attack)
Nathan Dunkley (Kingston Frontenacs)
Shawn Element (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
Eric Florchuk (Victoria Royals)
Carson Focht (Tri-City Americans)
Nolan Foote (Kelowna Rockets)
Liam Foudy (London Knights)
Benoit-Olivier Groulx (Halifax Mooseheads)
Eric Guest (Kitchener Rangers)
Barrett Hayton (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Samuel Houde (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
Brett Kemp (Everett Silvertips)
Raphael Lavoie (Halifax Mooseheads)
Jackson Leppard (Prince George Cougars)
Anderson MacDonald (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
Adam McMaster (North Bay Battalion)
Allan McShane (Erie Otters)
Koby Morrisseau (Spokane Chiefs)
Billy Moskal (London Knights)
Tristen Nielsen (Calgary Hitmen)
Serron Noel (Oshawa Generals)
Tyler Popowich (Vancouver Giants)
Connor Roberts (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Riley Stotts (Swift Current Broncos)
Josh Tarzwell (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Akil Thomas (Niagara IceDogs)
Joe Veleno (Saint John Sea Dogs)
Chase Wouters (Saskatoon Blades)

The player selections were made by Ryan Jankowski, Hockey Canada’s director of player personnel, with assistance from Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence management group lead for under-17, Dale DeGray, and regional scouts Carl Bouchard (Quebec), Barclay Branch (Ontario), Wade Klippenstein (West), Kevin Mitchell (Atlantic), and Darrell Woodley (Ontario).

“These are the 66 best players in the country who are, by-and-large, making their first appearance in international competition as part of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence. They have been selected not only based on their current ability, but also on their potential to represent Canada at under-18 and junior competition in the coming years,” said Shawn Bullock, senior manager of hockey operations and men’s national teams for Hockey Canada. “This is a skilled group of high-performers with long-term international potential, and we look forward to working with them at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and in the future.”

Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence officially begins with the under-17 development camp in July, and runs through the men’s high-performance camps and teams up to, and including, Canada’s National Junior Team. Of the 66 players selected to wear the Maple Leaf, only Joe Veleno (Kirkland, Que./Saint John, QMJHL) has competed at the event before; Veleno, 16, was a member of Team Canada Black at the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and represented Canada at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup in August.

Fifteen players (Burzan, Busby, Chisholm, Dudas, Focht, Groulx, MacDonald, McIsaac, McShane, Merkley, Nielsen, Roberts, Rodrigue, Smith, and Woo) earned a taste of international competition last February when they skated away from the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games with a silver medal. The Winter Youth Olympic Games were first introduced in 2012, and take place every four years.

Action gets underway Oct. 27 in Sault Ste. Marie

The Essar Centre and John Rhodes Community Centre will play host to the eight teams who will gut it out during six days of competition in the hopes of securing gold for their country. Team Canada Black, Team Canada White, the Czech Republic and United States will play in Group A, while Team Canada Red, Finland, Russia and Sweden will comprise Group B.

Official tournament action gets underway on Sunday, Oct. 30, when Team Canada Red takes on Finland at 12 p.m. ET, followed by Team Canada Black facing 2015 champions, Team Canada White, at 4 p.m. ET. The gold-medal game will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Essar Centre. The event is hosted by Hockey Canada in collaboration with the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF).

A full-tournament ticket package, which includes tickets to all 17 tournament games at the Essar Centre, is available for purchase online. Tickets to the five tournament games at the John Rhodes Community Centre, as well as all four exhibition games on Oct. 27, will be available at the door.

 Since the first World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (then known as the Quebec Esso Cup) in 1986, more than 1,600 NHL draft picks have played in the tournament, including 13 of the last 16 first-overall selections (Ilya Kovalchuk, 2001; Rick Nash, 2002; Marc-André Fleury, 2003; Alexander Ovechkin, 2004; Erik Johnson, 2006; Patrick Kane, 2007; John Tavares, 2009; Taylor Hall, 2010; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 2011; Nathan MacKinnon, 2013; Aaron Ekblad, 2014; Connor McDavid, 2015; Auston Matthews, 2016).

For more information on the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media onFacebook or Twitter.

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League proudly announced today that 366 CHL alumni are listed on National Hockey League Opening Night Rosters representing over 53% of all players in the league to start the 2016-17 season.

Of the 366 players, 17 finished the 2015-16 season in the CHL including 14 who are returning-eligible as 18 and 19-year-old players led by Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles selected third overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2016 NHL Draft.

The 366 CHL graduates on NHL rosters includes 173 players from the Ontario Hockey League, 126 from the Western Hockey League, and 67 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The London Knights lead all CHL clubs with 25 graduates on NHL rosters, followed by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds with 15, and the Kelowna Rockets with 14.  The Arizona Coyotes have the most CHL graduates on their roster with 20, followed by the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers each with 17.

The CHL continues to be the number one supplier of talent to the NHL.

CHL Eligible Players on Active NHL Opening Night Rosters:

2016 NHL Draft (98-born):
Jakob Chychrun (Sarnia Sting) selected 16th overall by the Arizona Coyotes Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) selected 3rd overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets Mikhail Sergachev (Windsor Spitfires) selected 9th overall by the Montreal Canadiens Matthew Tkachuk (London Knights) selected 6th overall by the Calgary Flames*
*player is a late 97-born

2015 NHL Draft (97-born):
Mathew Barzal (Seattle Thunderbirds) selected 16th overall by the New York Islanders Anthony Beauvillier (Shawinigan Cataractes) selected 28th overall by the New York Islanders Thomas Chabot (Saint John Sea Dogs) selected 18th overall by the Ottawa Senators Lawson Crouse (Kingston Frontenacs) selected 11th overall by the Florida Panthers (now with Arizona Coyotes) Travis Konecny (Sarnia Sting) selected 24th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers Mitch Marner (London Knights) selected 4th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs Ivan Provorov (Brandon Wheat Kings) selected 7th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers Blake Speers (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) selected 67th overall by the New Jersey Devils Dylan Strome (Erie Otters) selected 3rd overall by the Arizona Coyotes Pavel Zacha (Sarnia Sting) selected 6th overall by the New Jersey Devils

2014 NHL Draft (96-born):
Christian Dvorak (London Knights) selected 58th overall by the Arizona Coyotes Roland McKeown (Kingston Frontenacs) selected 50th overall by the Los Angeles Kings (now with Carolina Hurricanes) Brayden Point (Moose Jaw Warriors) selected 79th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning

CHL’s Official Paint Partner now Title Partner of Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League in association with Sherwin-Williams today announced an expanded partnership that includes naming Sherwin-Williams title partner of the Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game through 2019.

The 2017 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will be hosted by the Quebec Remparts at Centre Vidéotron on Monday January 30 and will be broadcast across Canada on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.  This season’s event will mark the 22nd annual showcase of the CHL’s top-40 NHL draft eligible players featuring talent from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League competing before hundreds of NHL scouts in attendance.

“The Canadian Hockey League is very excited that our partnership with Sherwin-Williams has grown to include title partnership of the Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game which will help showcase the CHL’s next wave of NHL talent,” said CHL President David Branch. “Through the first 18 months of this partnership, we’ve been more than impressed with Sherwin-Williams and the commitment and care they’ve shown for CHL communities and to our league which makes us proud to continue building this relationship.”

Introduced as the CHL’s Official Paint Partner in March, 2015, Sherwin-Williams has been a fixture at CHL National Events throughout their partnership.  One of their partnership highlights has included the initiative ‘Paint the Community’ during the Mastercard Memorial Cup whereby Sherwin-Williams generously donated paint and staff who teamed up with the CHL Commissioners to refurbish areas of Red Deer’s Aspire Special Needs Resource Centre and Quebec City’s Maison de Lauberiviere.

“We are excited to strengthen our partnership with the Canadian Hockey League by sponsoring the Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game,“ said Paul Clifford, Executive President and General Manager of Sherwin-Williams Canada Division. “We look forward to building on our positive connection with the players, fans and communities across Canada.”

Since the Top Prospects showcase was first introduced in 1996 the game has featured 13 players selected with the first overall pick in the NHL Draft including Chris Phillips (1996), Joe Thornton (1997), Vincent Lecavalier (1998), Rick Nash (2002), Marc-Andre Fleury (2003), Patrick Kane (2007), Steven Stamkos (2008), John Tavares (2009), Taylor Hall (2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Nathan MacKinnon (2013), Aaron Ekblad (2014), and Connor McDavid (2015).  Last year’s game in Vancouver featured 15 players chosen in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft led by third overall pick Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles who scored a goal and two assists for Team Orr.

For more information please visit http://sherwin-williamstopprospects.ca.

 Ask Sherwin-Williams™
For 150 years, Sherwin-Williams has been an industry leader in the development of technologically advanced paint and coatings. As North America’s largest specialty retailer of paint and painting supplies, Sherwin-Williams is dedicated to supporting both do-it-yourselfers and painting professionals with exceptional and exclusive products, resources to make confident color selections and expert, personalized service at its more than 4,000 neighborhood stores. For more information, visit sherwin-williams.ca. Join Sherwin-Williams on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tumblr.

 About the Canadian Hockey League

The Canadian Hockey League is the world’s largest development hockey league with 52 Canadian and eight American teams participating in the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League. CHL players graduate from high school at a rate higher than the Canadian national average.  More than nine million fans annually attend CHL games during the regular season, playoffs and at the Mastercard Memorial Cup. The CHL is the number one supplier of talent to the National Hockey League (NHL) and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).