A pair of Calgary Hitmen players – and 2025 NHL Draft prospects – will be showcased as part of the Canadian Hockey League’s entry at the upcoming CHL USA Prospects Challenge. Forward Ben Kindel and defenceman Reese Hamilton were named to Team CHL as part of the upcoming two-game series, which pits Team CHL against the U.S. National Development Program’s under-18 team in a two game clash in late November.

A right shot forward from Coquitlam, B.C., Kindell turns 18 in April and has yet to fully cement himself as a first-round talent – Craig Button has him ranked 27th while FC Hockey has him at 55th. Now in his second full Western Hockey League season, Kindel posted 60 points over 68 games last season but is off to a strong start, with 11 points in nine games so far this season. He’s played a bit of centre this season, but has primarily lined up as a winger during his WHL tenure. He helped Canada capture gold at the recent Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament.

A left shot defender from Whitewood, Saskatchewan, Hamilton turns 18 in March and the scouting consensus is he’ll be taken a bit earlier than Kindel – he’s ranked 23rd by Craig Button and 27th by FC Hockey in their early rankings. Like Kindel, he’s a second year WHLer. He posted 31 points in 42 games last season, while so far this campaign he’s amassed two points in eight games. He captured gold with Canada at the Under-18 World Championships at the end of last season and gold with Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup at the beginning of this season.

The Hitmen currently boast three NHL-drafted prospects on their roster: Carter Yakemchuk (Ottawa), Axel Hurtig (Calgary) and Carson Wetsch (San Jose). It seems quite likely that they’ll be joined by Kindel and Hamilton when the 2025 NHL Draft unfolds at the end of June. We’ll have to see how each player’s draft season unfolds to determine how early each player will be selected.

The CHL USA Prospects Challenge takes place Nov. 26 in London, Ontario and Nov. 27 in Oshawa, Ontario.