London, Ontario - The Canadian Hockey League and the National Hockey League announced today the 40 players who were selected to participate in the 2004 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Wednesday January 21, 2004 at the John Labatt Centre in London. David Bolland (left) and Robbie Schremp of the London Knights were among the 40 players named to the roster for the 2004 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game during a media conference in London on Tuesday. Photo: Aaron Bell/CHL The game will showcase 40 of the CHL’s top players that are eligible for selection in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft that will be held in Raleigh, N.C. on June 26 and 27. The players were selected by the National Hockey League’s 30 teams.
More than 300 players have suited up in the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game and gone on to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft, including all 40 players who played in the game last year. The game has featured five players who were the first overall picks in the NHL Entry Draft - Chris Phillips (1996), Joe Thornton (1997), Vincent Lecavalier (1998), Rick Nash (2002) and Marc-Andre Fleury (2003)
The 2004 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will start at 7:00 p.m. on January 21, 2004. The game will be broadcast live across Canada on Rogers Sportsnet and RDS. The event will also feature a skills competition on Tuesday January 20 at the John Labatt Centre.
The coaches for the 2004 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will be Don Cherry and Bobby Orr, who have been behind the benches for eight of the nine games. Orr won three straight games from 1999-2001 and leads the series 4-3. Team Cherry won last year’s game in Kitchener.
Cherry will be joined behind the bench once again by Brian Kilrea, coach and general manager of the Ottawa 67’s. Kilrea is the CHL’s all-time winningest coach and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November. London Knights coach Dale Hunter will join Orr behind the bench. Hunter played three seasons in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers and Sudbury Wolves before graduating to a 20-year career in the NHL. He is in his second season behind the bench with the Knights, who are currently third overall in the OHL.
2004 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Participating Players
Goaltenders
Devin Dubnyk, Kamloops Blazers
Julien Ellis, Shawinigan Cataractes
Justin Peters, Toronto St. Michael’s Majors
David Shantz, Mississauga IceDogs
Defencemen
Cam Barker, Medicine Hat Tigers
Brett Carson, Calgary Hitmen
Mark Fistric, Vancouver Giants
Michael Funk, Portland Winterhawks
Mike Green, Saskatoon Blades
Andy Rogers, Calgary Hitmen
David Schulz, Swift Current Broncos
Jeff Schultz, Calgary Hitmen
Michael Sersen, Rimouski Oceanic
Roman Tesliuk, Kamloops Blazers
Boris Valabik, Kitchener Rangers
Kyle Wharton, Ottawa 67’s
Forwards
Joe Barnes, Saskatoon Blades
Adam Berti, Oshawa Generals
Bryan Bickell, Ottawa 67’s
David Bolland, London Knights
Dane Byers, Prince Albert Raiders
Kyle Chipchura, Prince Albert Raiders
Blake Comeau, Kelowna Rockets
Renaud Des Alliers, Victoriaville Tigres
Ryan Garlock, Windsor Spitfires
Bruce Graham, Moncton Wildcats
Eric Hunter, Prince George Cougars
Andrew Ladd, Calgary Hitmen
David Laliberte, PEI Rocket
John Lammers, Lethbridge Hurricanes
Evan McGrath, Kitchener Rangers
Vaclav Meidel, Plymouth Whalers
Chad Painchaud, Mississauga IceDogs
Alexandre Picard, Lewiston MAINE-iacs
Peter Pohl, Gatineau Olympiques
Rob Schremp, London Knights
Aki Seitsonen, Prince Albert Raiders
Jan Steber, Halifax Mooseheads
Jared Walker, Red Deer Rebels
Wojtek Wolski, Brampton Battalion
