Top standouts from Game 1 of CHL USA Prospects Challenge
LONDON – London Knights fans are no strangers to winning – the many, many, many banners inside Canada Life Place are proof of that.
But tonight, fans witnessed 21 of the top draft-eligible Canadians (and Blake Fiddler, who represented the Americans at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup) beat the United States in the first-ever CHL USA Prospects Challenge. It was a bit of a blowout, with the CHL controlling the pace of play in a 6-1 victory.
The game started with Landon Lakovic’s goal early in the first on a breakaway chance. Cameron Schmidt, Brady Martin and Matthew Schaefer all registered goals of their own in the first six minutes of the second, effectively throttling any comeback attempt by the Americans. Malcolm Spence and Kashawn Aitcheson both scored to make it 6-0 in the third period – capping off a game that wasn’t relatively close.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Tuesday’s battle, with the two teams set to meet again at 7:00 PM ET in Oshawa on Wednesday:
CHL
#16 Lynden Lakovic, LW: The opening goal was nice – a breakaway goal off a great stretch pass from Benjamin Kindel. But it was everything else that stood out – the small-area battles, the speed, the physicality – that made him really intriguing. Lakovic got an assist on Brady Martin’s 3-0 goal, although it was a fluky play. Still, Lakovic was one of Canada’s most noticeable forwards all game long.
#48 Matthew Schaefer, D: What a game – maybe one of the most dominant I’ve ever seen by Schaefer. He scored an incredible goal, made an excellent pass for Cameron Schmidt’s 2-0 goal, blocked a shot without a glove or a stick and made a few other plays that almost came to fruition. I’ve seen Schaefer play a lot of hockey the past four years – I never saw him this dialed in before, even at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
#19 Cameron Schmidt, RW: Schmidt sure can fire the puck. He scored on a beautiful release to make it 2-0 and then nearly had another midway through the second. Schmidt might be small, but he’s super competitive, likes to land hits and doesn’t seem to be afraid of anyone. I know some are concerned he won’t be big enough for the NHL, but against his peers, I’ve been very impressed with just about every viewing.
#44 Brady Martin, C: Martin made it his mission to hit everything that moves. And that’s what he does – he’s as hard-working of a forward as you’ll find at this level. He brings the type of work ethic you desperately want from 200-foot players and it was on full display tonight. The goal was icing on the cake, even if it was a bit flukey.
#77 Kashawn Aitcheson, D: Between some massive blow-up hits and a late-game goal, it was a memorable game for Aitcheson. He was more of a defensive standout in this one compared to Schaefer, but that’s what he does so well – shutting high-end players down. Aitcheson is often best when he’s quiet on the puck – but that’s because he’s so good everywhere else.
USA
– #6 Maceo Phillips, D: Look: the United States’ blueline isn’t good. But I thought Phillips did a solid job of pushing players to the outside and giving them little space to work with. He’s not the fastest skater, but he’s good enough on transition to handle the CHL’s top players. Plus, he hits hard, too.
SPONSORED BY bet365