The next round of NHL draft prospects from across the country are in Guelph Thursday night for the CHL Top Prospects Game at the Sleeman Centre.
The annual event pits 40 of the top junior players against each other on teams coached by Don Cherry and Bobby Orr, but this year hall of famer Eric Lindros will stand in for Orr.
“Eric, for five years, was the best hockey player in the world, there was nobody close to him.”
The 83-year-old Cherry is coaching in the event for the 17th time and says the game has changed.
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“What I noticed about five years ago…the players were a lot bigger and it looks like the players this year are a lot smaller and a lot speedier, so that’s the way hockey’s been going,” he said.
Players to keep an eye on in this year’s game include Barrie Colts forward Andrei Svechnikov with Team Orr, Halifax Mooseheads forward Filip Zadina with Team Cherry and Guelph Storm defenceman Ryan Merkley who will play for Team Cherry.
Joining Merkley will be his Storm teammate, forward Cam Hillis. Meanwhile, the entire Guelph Storm coaching staff, including head coach George Burnett, will join Lindros behind the bench on Team Orr.
The opinionated Cherry also shared his views on European players in the Canadian Hockey League and said he was “not happy” with it.
“There’s a Canadian kid not playing. No matter how you cut the mustard, I said this a long time ago and we have it now in bantam, we have them coming over in bantams, if you can believe it,” Cherry said.
“You’re asking me, ‘Do I believe in Europeans playing in [the] Canadian Hockey League?’ No I don’t”
Cherry has a total of six European skaters on his team for Thursday night’s game.
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