Cornwall Ontario – The Canadian Junior Hockey League, in partnership with the National Hockey League and Hockey Canada, announced Monday that Cornwall, Ont. has been selected as the host city for the 12th annual CJHL Prospects Game, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at Ed Lumley Arena within the Cornwall Civic Complex.

The contest will feature 40 of the top NHL Draft eligible players from across the entire 10-league CJHL taking part.

The line-ups will see 20 prospects selected from the five eastern-based CJHL leagues (MHL, LHJQ, CCHL, OJHL & NOJHL) taking on top 20 prospects from the CJHL’s five western-based leagues (BCHL, AJHL, SJHL, MJHL & SIJHL).

The rosters will be chosen, in partnership with NHL Central Scouting, and will be announced at a later date along with the respective coaching staffs for the two sides.

“The CJHL Prospects Game brings together the top draft eligible Junior ‘A’ prospects from throughout Canada for on and off-ice testing and an East versus West game,” stated NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr.
Having the opportunity to watch an entire group of prospects under one roof will be a huge benefit to all the scouts that will be in attendance.

“This is a major event for NHL scouting personnel to attend and view all these prospects at one venue and see them compete against their peers,” surmised the NHL CS Director.

“It is a tremendous opportunity for these players to showcase their ability and represent their leagues and communities on a national stage,” added Marr.

“NHL clubs are continually evaluating prospects and with CJHL players (many of whom are NCAA bound), most will not get drafted into the NHL at 18 years of age, but more often as 19-year-olds or signed as free agents.”

In hosting its annual Prospects Game for a 12th consecutive year, CJHL President Brent Ladds offered his thoughts on the contest.

“The CJHL is indebted to the National Hockey League, Hockey Canada, our 10 member leagues as well as the City of Cornwall for their support of this annual event,” said Ladds.

“The game will feature all of the top draft eligible players competing in the CJHL this season, in one location, competing against each other. The game has been a launching point for many of our alumni currently playing in the NHL. This opportunity should be no different,” added the CJHL President.
The CJHL Prospects Game organizing committee and staff is elated to be hosting this national match-up.

“We are both honoured and excited to be hosting the Prospects Game and we look forward to creating a dynamic event for the CJHL players being recognized and to continue the proud tradition of Cornwall as a welcoming host City,” offered co-event chair Shawna Mecteau, who is heading up the host committee along with co-chair David Murphy.

Tickets for the CJHL Prospects Game are now on sale and are available via the Cornwall Colts (CCHL) office by contacting them at (613) 930-9300.
The cost for tickets is $10 each; $9 per-person for groups of 20 or more, while children 12 and under are $5.
ABOUT THE CJHL PROSPECTS GAME

The CJHL Prospects Game is one of the premier Junior A hockey events in the country and provides tremendous exposure for CJHL players to play in front of scouts from all over the hockey world – including the NHL, NCAA, Major Junior and Canadian universities and colleges.

The President’s Cup is awarded to the winning team in the CJHL Prospects Game.

From 2005 until 2008, the event ran as a single game, but starting in 2009 the President’s Cup was played as a two-game series where the combined score of the games determined the winner of the title.
The contest has now gone back to a single-game format along with player testing, both on-ice and off-ice, having been introduced.

Since its inception, Team West has won six times while Team East has come away victorious on five occasions.