Lin, Roobroeck, Villeneuve named to Team CHL for 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge
Some of the next wave of NHL talent are set to compete in a showcase for bragging rights.
On Tuesday, the Canadian Hockey League and NHL Central Scouting announced the first three players of Team CHL for the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge. Defensman Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants, Western Hockey League), Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara IceDogs, Ontario Hockey League) and defender Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League) have been chosen to represent the team north of the border.
The CHL USA Prospects Challenge was introduced last year, taking place of the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, pitting CHLers against the U.S. National Team Development Program.
CHL president Dan MacKenzie admits that the trio will bring a level of excitement to the showcase.
“Ryan Lin, Ryan Roobroeck, and Xavier Villeneuve bring the kind of skill, intensity, and excitement fans will see at this year’s CHL USA Prospects Challenge,” MacKenzie said in a release. “They’ve already proven themselves as standouts in their leagues and on the international stage, and now they’ll set the tone for an electric showcase in Calgary and Lethbridge against their greatest rivals – the United States.”
Roobroeck is coming off an exceptional 2024-25 season in Niagara, leading the team with 41 goals and 87 points. His 41 markers were also the most among CHLers eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. Lin posted an impressive 53 points in 60 games, becoming just the second WHL rearguard to surpass 50 points in his rookie season, and the first since Scott Niedermayer in 1989-90. Villeneuve won the Émile-Bouchard Trophy as the QMJHL’s top defender, becoming just the third 17-year-old to capture the award.
All three players were on the Canadian roster that took home the gold medal at the 2025 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship.
While the team representing the U.S. has yet to be announced, several players on the U-18 roster are expected to participate in the event.
Last year, the showcase took place in London and Oshawa, Ont., with Team CHL winning both games, outscoring the USNTDP 9-3. This year’s games will take place on Nov. 25 and 26. in Alberta. The first game will be held at Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome, while Game 2 will be at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena, home of the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes.