NHL teams have yet to reach the 10-game mark this season, but the three CHL leagues have already been up and at it for a month. <\/p>\n
At this point, the sample sizes are growing enough where we can start to see who\u2019s real and who\u2019s not. Each of the three CHL leagues has about 10 players on pace for 100 points. That\u2019s not truly sustainable, but at least a few draft prospects surpass it, while some others come mighty close. <\/p>\n
A good first impression can go a long way. Sustaining that success is a totally different story, though. We\u2019ll see how many of these players make it onto the CHL\u2019s roster for the upcoming CHL USA Prospects Challenge<\/a>, taking place next month.<\/p>\n Today, to kick off our weekly prospect notebook series, we\u2019re looking at 10 players who have lit up the OHL, QMJHL and WHL early on this season:<\/p>\n J.P. Hurlbert, C (Kamloops Blazers, WHL)<\/p>\n Hurlbert might not only be the most productive draft-eligible in the WHL right now, he might be the best player in the entire CHL, period. Hurlbert put up 37 points in 56 games with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program last year, but has exploded for 24 points in just 11 games with Kamloops this year. He\u2019s averaging a goal per game while pacing at nearly 150 points over a full season. Seriously, he\u2019s wicked good right now. Special, even. My concerns heading into the season were about how consistent he could be\u00a0\u2013 but given he has points in all but one game, I\u2019d say he\u2019s doing just fine.<\/p>\n Xavier Villeneuve, LHD (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, QMJHL)<\/p>\n At 5-foot-11, Villeneuve\u2019s lack of size will be a talking point all season long. But, man, nobody can deny the pure talent. He\u2019s up to an incredible 20 points in 12 games this year, highlighted by four games with three points or more. His five-assist effort in a 5-2 win over Newfoundland on Oct. 10 was one of the most impressive single games by a 2026 draft prospect so far this season. And it\u2019s not a surprise, either \u2013 he had 62 points a year ago, and was one of the top players at the U-18 World Championship. You just have to watch him in person to understand his true value.<\/p>\n Yegor Shilov, C (Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL)<\/p>\n Shilov likes to shoot from just about anywhere. And so far, the results look promising with seven goals and 19 points in 10 games. He split last year between the USHL and AAA ranks but has come alive in a major role with Victoriaville. The Boston University commit is built around generating offense at all times, and the results have been extremely promising. Look for Shilov to make the CHL roster<\/a> for the series against the United States next month. He might be more of a bottom-six forward in that event, but he\u2019ll be damn dangerous, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n Nikita Klepov, RW (Saginaw Spirit, OHL)<\/p>\n Klepov kicked off the season with an excellent showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup before making the move to the OHL. Someone needed to step up offensively with Michael Misa moving on, and Klepov has done exactly that. He has 18 points in 11 games with the Spirit, putting him on pace for well north of 100. It\u2019s hard to tell how sustainable that is, but he\u2019s coming off a solid first year in the USHL, and his offensive instincts are more than prevalent every time he touches the puck. Don\u2019t be surprised if he forces himself into the top 20 this year.<\/p>\n Alexei Vlasov, LW (Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL)<\/p>\n Vlasov is the smallest player on this list at 5-foot-9, but he\u2019s been one of the biggest performers of the bunch. The Russian-born winger has 18 points through 10 games with Victoriaville while playing alongside Shilov. He\u2019s in the midst of a five-game multi-point stretch, doing so even when the team has come up short against Halifax and Charlottetown. He gets a lot of volume on net, but he also brings speed and tenacity to every shift. He\u2019s not big, but he\u2019s fearless, and that\u2019ll help him get drafted this year.<\/p>\n Noah Kosick, C (Swift Current Broncos, WHL)<\/p>\n If you watched Kosick last year, you saw an energetic forward used primarily in a depth role. He had three points in 34 games with the Calgary Hitmen and one goal with the USHL\u2019s Sioux Falls Stampede. By all accounts, it was nothing memorable. But now, the playmaking forward is on track for 115 points after starting the year with four goals and 17 points in just 10 games. He\u2019s been one of the WHL\u2019s most impressive forwards and easily one of the most improved CHLers, period. He\u2019s a bit undersized, but the German-born Canadian forward is a remarkable setup guy who plays with a high hockey IQ. Kosick\u2019s hockey sense should take him far, and while I\u2019m not ready to call him a first-rounder, he\u2019s looking like a serious breakout candidate.<\/p>\n Caleb Malhotra, C (Brantford Bulldogs, OHL)<\/p>\n It\u2019s never a bad thing to come from hockey bloodlines. Manny was a legendary faceoff specialist \u2013 his son, Caleb, might be more of an all-around threat, though. Malhotra put up modest numbers in the BCHL last year but is on pace for 110 points in Brantford. Playing on a good team helps, but Malhotra does enough play-driving that you can\u2019t help but love his game. The former Vaughan Kings standout likely won\u2019t be a massive point-producer in the NHL, but his hard-working nature and two-way habits will be a huge bonus. Most didn\u2019t expect him to be a first-round candidate this early in the season, but he has earned it. <\/p>\n Chase Reid, RHD (Soo Greyhounds, OHL)<\/p>\n Reid went from starting in the NAHL last year to becoming one of the best defensive prospects in the game today. He\u2019s humming along at a point-per-game pace while playing all situations for the Greyhounds. The team has had a couple of notable performers <\/a>this year, but star forward Brady Martin<\/a> has yet to suit up for a game. With that about to change, look for Reid\u2019s production to keep improving. He\u2019s a stout playmaker who loves making high-risk, high-reward passes. He\u2019s no slouch physically, too \u2013 he\u2019s built tough. Don\u2019t be surprised if Reid is the third defender off the board this season.<\/p>\n Ethan Belchetz, LW (Windsor Spitfires, OHL)<\/p>\n Belchetz is must-see entertainment. At 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds, he\u2019s hard to miss \u2013 and he loves causing calamity. The 2024 first-overall pick in the OHL Draft had a good rookie season, but he\u2019s playing even better right now with 10 goals and 16 points. His ability to dominate shifts makes him so intriguing, and he can score from anywhere in any situation, too. Even when he isn\u2019t getting too many chances with the puck, Belchetz is finding ways to push the pace, create havoc, and showcase raw skill. His footspeed needs work, but it\u2019s clearly not slowing down his production.<\/p>\n Parker Snell, G (Edmonton Oil Kings, WHL)<\/p>\n Snell has shared the net with older veteran Ethan Simcoe for the red-hot Oil Kings this year, but Snell has the better numbers to boot. He\u2019s 5-1-0 with a .922 save percentage, giving him some of the best numbers from a draft-eligible goaltender, regardless of league. Snell is a 6-foot-2 keeper who moves so well, has an excellent glove hand and tracks pucks as well as anyone. From a fundamental standpoint, there\u2019s a lot to like. He didn\u2019t play a ton of high-end hockey last year, but he put up some huge performances at the U-18 level. Now that he\u2019s going up against top competition each night in the Dub, Snell is turning heads.<\/p>\n SPONSORED BY bet365<\/p>\n Recent posts from Steven Ellis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NHL teams have yet to reach the 10-game mark this season, but the three CHL leagues have already…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237398,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-237397","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}