RED DEER, Alta. – Canada won its 23rd summer under-18 gold medal, downing Sweden 4-1 in the gold medal game Saturday night at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

The game was a rematch of the 2018 final in Edmonton, Alta., also a win for the Canadians. The unbeaten run in Red Deer improved Canada’s all-time summer U18 record to 116-16-6 since 1991.

Canadian forward Andrew Cristall was fantastic through the best-on-best tournament finishing in the tournament scoring’s Top-10 tied for seventh in points (6 points, 1G, 5A). The Kelowna Rockets star was a dynamic playmaker all over the ice driving offence for the powerhouse Canadians consistently throughout the tournament.

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Kelowna Rockers forward Andrew Cristall has been a force in his first full WHL Season. The Rockets playmaker has set a new highest scoring a record for 16-year-old players in franchise history with 26 goals this season.

The previous mark, 25,  which stood for over a decade was held by Shane McColgan when he scored 25 goals in 2009-2010.

Cristall, one of the most dynamic playmakers the WHL has ever seen currently has 65 Points (26 G, 39A) in just 58 games played.

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Guelph Storm forward, Jake Karabela was among the game’s brightest young stars for the annual CHL Top Prospects Game. The marquee event is a staple of the NHL Scouting calendar as the game brings the top 40 young NHL prospects from across the CHL’s three leagues; the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL, for practices, on-ice testing, media interviews, and finally the big game.

Before the opening puck drop Karabela impressed with a Top-5 performance in the 30M Skate with puck sprint (3.925 seconds, 4th) during on ice-testing.

In front of a packed Kitchener Memorial Auditorium of 5,969 fans Karabela put on a show scoring a goal and adding an assist for two points and a 3-1 win as part of a dominant Team White. 

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Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League announced today the rosters and captains for the 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game to be held at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday, March 23.

The 40 players from across the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League have been divided into Team Red and Team White. Team White will be captained under Deyton Mateychuk and serving as assitant captains are Jake Karabela (Guelph Storm) and Tristan Luneau (Gatineau Olympiques).

In all, the 40 players count 18 from the OHL, 15 from the WHL, and seven from the QMJHL. Additionally, 23 CHL clubs are represented by at least one player, led by the Guelph Storm with four and Gatineau Olympiques, Kamloops Blazers, Seattle Thunderbirds, and Swift Current Broncos each with three, while 11 teams have multiple player representatives.

Behind the bench for Team White are TSN OverDrive’s Jeff “O-Dog” O’Neill alongside Al’s Brother, CHL legend Brian Kilrea, Ottawa 67’s hockey operations advisor Bert O’Brien, plus Guelph Storm head coach George Burnett as well as equipment manager Jake McKercher and athletic therapist Brie Donelson. Coaching Team Red are TSN OverDrive’s Jamie “Noodles” McLennan alongside OverDrive co-host Bryan Hayes, Kitchener Rangers alumnus and Memorial Cup champion Derek Roy, plus Rangers head coach Mike McKenzie as well as equipment manager Dan Lebold and athletic therapist Cory Birk.

The 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game airs live from the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on TSN, TSN.ca, the TSN app, and RDS on Wednesday, Mar. 23 at 8 p.m. Eastern. For more information, visit kubotatopprospects.ca.

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