The NHL/CHL Top Prospects Game will take place in Moncton in 2024
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 Center on January 24, 2024. This is the second time the event has taken place in Atlantic Canada, with Halifax hosting it in 2013.
Moncton recently co-hosted the 2023 World Junior Championship and hosts the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. The Wildcats last won the league title in 2009-10 and are in the playoffs in 2023, sitting in seventh place with a 33-29-2-2 record.
The CHL’s Top Prospects Game is held every winter, pitting the best draft-eligible talent from Canada’s three major junior leagues against each other. Connor Bedard and Zach Benson highlighted the 2023 event at the Langley Events Center not far from Vancouver.
Although it’s still early days, some of the main entrants next year could include Tanner Howe from Regina, Sam Dickinson from London, Berkly Catton from Spokane and Clarke Caswell from Swift Current, among others. Moncton could send Adam Fortier-Gendron, a rookie defenseman after finishing 14th in the 2022 QMJHL Draft.
Rosters are selected by members of the 32 NHL teams, with a focus on bringing together as many of the CHL’s top talent for a few days of testing on and off the ice, as well as the game itself. Many top draft picks, including Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Patrick Kane, Steven Stamkos and Nathan MacKinnon, all participated.
Last year, 38 of the 40 players who participated were selected in the 2022 NHL Draft, including Shane Wright, who led the way after being picked fourth overall by Seattle. A total of 13 of the top 20 North American skaters in the most recent NHL Central Scouting rankings are currently playing in the Canadian Hockey League.
