Top standouts from Game 2 of 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge
You might have never heard of “Super Overtime” before, but we got it for the first time in CHL USA Prospects Challenge history.
The USA Hockey National Team Development Program won the opening game of the series on Tuesday, but the Canadian Hockey League battled back to win Game 2 4-3 to force the extra frame. It was there that the United States took home the victory in Lethbridge to win the series for the first time.
J.P. Hurlbert opened the scoring just 34 seconds into the night, taking a Daxon Rudolph pass and making no mistake. But goals from AJ Garcia and Victor Plante before the game hit the seven-minute mark put the Americans in front. Jamie Glance scored on the power play at 21:07 to make it 3-1, silencing the VisitLethbridge.com crowd.
The hosts would eventually figure it out, though. Caleb Malhotra scored less than a minute later on a shorthanded breakaway to make it 3-2, and then Alessandro Di Iorio tallied a goal at 36:31 to tie the game up. The CHL would eventually complete the comeback with a goal from Xavier Villeneuve with three minutes to go, giving them the victory – and forcing the first ever Super Overtime.
Super overtime consisted of a 20-minute, 3-on-3, sudden-death experience. But Victor Plante needed less than six minutes to score the winner, handing the series to the United States.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Game 2 (and Super Overtime) on Wednesday night in Lethbridge:
CHL
#10 Daxon Rudolph, D: With two assists, Rudolph was one of the most notable players tonight. He played physically, but he also used his natural skill and quick play reads to make high-quality moves. It felt like he was one of the few CHLers who progressively got better with the puck the more I watched him.
#72 Xavier Villeneuve, D: This was a great showing from Villeneuve, who I felt was quite competitive yesterday. He made a great play that led to the 3-3 goal, battling hard near the boards to help get the puck to Di Iorio. Villeneuve then scored the winning goal to force the Super Overtime on the power play. He was Canada’s most active defender from the point, which was to be expected. I could see Canada bringing him to the World Juniors to fire a ton of shots on net.
#2 J.P. Hurlbert, C: Hurlbert wasted no time making himself known in the first period. He battled hard to get himself into a scoring position and would fire home a wicked one-timer past Brady Knowling to open the scoring less than a minute in. He was a little less noticeable in the second, but I still feel like his energy was impressive.
#16 Adam Novotny, LW: It wasn’t an easy first period for the CHL after scoring the opening goal, but Novotny was one of the better forwards. He had two dangerous looks that ultimately didn’t beat Luke Carrithers. That period alone was Novotny’s most noticeable of the tourney – it felt like he was creating and using his speed quite often.
#17 Alessandro Di Iorio, C: Di Iorio had a couple early looks that ultimately didn’t result in anything. That all changed in the second period when he scored off a nice wrister to make it 3-3. I felt like he did a good job of getting physical and holding his ground, no matter who he went up against. He proved to be too much for the American defenders to handle.
#27 Caleb Malhotra, C: Put him in any situation and he’ll get the job done. After an impressive showing as a passer on Tuesday, Malhotra scored a breakaway goal on a shorthanded play to give the CHL some life in the second. He was the CHL’s top player this week – so few bad shifts for a guy who proved he could do it all.
USA
#1 Luke Carrithers, G: After allowing a goal on the first shot of the night, Knowling made 14 saves in the opening period to keep the Americans in it. From there, he did a solid job of tracking shots while not overreacting to scoring chances. I’ve seen him struggle through traffic in the past, but he seemed calmer and composed today.
#5 JJ Marthaler, D: That was a solid showing for one of the more noticeable defenders today. Marthaler isn’t known for his offense – he has one goal in two years – but he had three shots while still being good in his own zone. He seemed to play a lot in the second half, which isn’t easy on an eight-man defensive unit. His mobility and play-reads are definitely intriguing. I’m not sure he’ll get drafted in the first half, but teams should be intrigued with his raw potential.
#26 Victor Plante, C: I love Plante’s energy. He’s always moving and trying to make plays happen, and it led to the 2-1 goal. Most importantly, though, he became the first player to score in Super Overtime to give the Americans the series victory. He doesn’t lose many 1-on-1 plays, and while he can still struggle physically along the boards, it felt like he played with a bit more intensity today. I really like his game and think he could go in the top 75 – although scouts will be concerned about his lack of muscle.
#23 AJ Garcia, LW: Garcia scored the first goal for the Americans and had two other decent chances in the opening frame. It just felt like every time I noticed him, he was around the net trying to create something. It was one of my favorite viewings of his so far – there’s been plenty of times where it feels like he’s quiet and not doing a ton on the attack. Today, he was dangerous.
SPONSORED BY bet365