Belchetz, Preston highlight Team CHL roster for prospects challenge

The Canadian Hockey League announced the 22 players that will represent the three major junior leagues when they faceoff against the U.S. National Under-18 Team at the CHL USA prospects challenge on Nov. 25 and 26 in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta.

Team CHL features 10 players from the Ontario Hockey League, eight players from the Western Hockey League, and four players from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara), Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand), and Ryan Lin (Vancouver) were announced as the first three players to claim a spot in September and are being joined by a group headlined by star forwards Mathis Preston and Ethan Belchetz.

Preston was a key factor for the Spokane Chiefs in their run to the Western Hockey League Championship Series last year, recording nine goals and 16 points in the playoffs. He currently leads the Chiefs in scoring this season with six goals and 11 points.

The 5-foot-11 centre was the highest ranked player in the CHL on TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s first list of the season at No. 6 and was listed at No. 13 on TSN’s pre-season rankings.

Belchetz began his draft season at a high scoring pace and leads the Ontario Hockey League with 12 goals to go along with 19 points. He has helped the Windsor Spitfires to the league’s best record at 12-2-2 through 16 games this season.

The 6-foot-5 winger was listed at No. 6 on TSN’s pre-season rankings and Button has him ranked at No. 8 on his list.

Roobroeck, Preston, and Belchetz will be joined by Maddox Dagenais (Quebec), Alessandro Di Iorio (Sarnia), Beckham Edwards (Sarnia), Chase Harrington (Spokane), JP Hurlbert (Kamloops), Nikita Klepov (Saginaw), Caleb Malhotra (Brampton), Adam Novotny (Peterborough), Brooks Rogowski (Oshawa), and Egor Shilov (Victoriaville) as part of the forward group.

Lin and Villeneuve will lead a defence corps that includes Carson Carels (Prince George), Charlie Morrison (Quebec), Giorgos Pantelas (Brandon), Chase Reid (Sault Ste. Marie), and Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert).

In the crease, the duties will be split between Harrison Boettiger (Kelowna) and Zachary Jovonovski (Guelph).

The roster features six players who helped Canada win gold at the 2025 Under-18 World Hockey Championship and eight players who won bronze at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Boettiger and Hurlbert are two of seven players on the roster who do not represent Canada on the international stage.

Boettiger was also a member of the U.S. National Under-18 Team in last year’s series, allowing three goals on 38 shots in the second game of the series. He joined Kelowna in the off-season and has an 0-2-2 record with a 3.16 goals-against average and .888 save percentage.

Hulbert was a member of the U.S. National Under-17 Team and will be facing some of his former teammates in the series. He registered 19 goals and 37 points playing with the United States last year and leads the WHL with 11 goals and 28 points in 13 games with the Blazers this season.

Other non-Canadians on Team CHL include Czechia’s Adam Novotny, Russia’s Egor Shilov, and Americans Nikita Klepov, Brooks Rogowski, and Chase Reid.

Team CHL Roster