OHL Top Prospects Game Provides Perfect Blueprint For The WHL To Follow

This week, the OHL held a top prospect game, showcasing forty-two players who are on NHL scouting radars. The event was a massive success, with over 3,000 fans in attendance on Wednesday. With the idea fresh in everyone's mind, now would be a good time for the WHL to copy the concept and announce a similar game for the 2025-26 season.

Sixty-six WHL players were recently named to NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings. The list included three skaters in the top ten and North America's top-ranked goaltending prospect. With an abundance of talent that NHL scouts are keen on, creating a top prospects game would benefit not only the players but also the league.

As for the format, the WHL could copy the OHL and make the game East vs. West. Based on this year's group, that would mean fans could see lines such as Lakovic-McQueen-Kindel matchup against Bear-Cootes-Reschny. There would also be some intriguing defensive pairings like Smith-Mrtka and Hamilton-Fiddler. These line combinations would excite not just scouts but also fans, as they would get to see some of the best young talent the WHL has to offer.

An event like this would also give different cities the opportunity to host a prestigious league event. The top prospects game could be rotated between conferences, with each division getting the chance to host once every four years. It could even be turned into a festival weekend, drawing in different fan bases from across the league.

In the end, a top prospects event would be a great addition to the WHL calendar. As mentioned, it would help promote the league while giving prospects a platform to show how they compare to their peers. While it is too late for an edition this season, the WHL should consider adding this event in 2025-26.

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