Who Impressed at the 2020 CHL TPG

There was plenty of attention on the 2020 NHL/CHL Top Prospects Game, and rightly so.

Not only did it feature the top two prospects for the 2020 NHL Draft in Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield, the exhibition event also featured nearly two dozen players with the potential to be called to the stage on the opening night on Friday, June 27.

Here’s who stood out among the crowd to Future Considerations scout Dylan Galloway, who was in attendance in Hamilton.

Jamie Drysdale, D, Erie (OHL), 5-11, 175, 8-4-2002
Future Considerations Winter Ranking: 6

“Every time I watch Drysdale I’m left impressed by him and the Top Prospects Game was no different. While the game sheet isn’t as kind to Drysdale’s performance, as a minus-2 rating with no points, he did really show off his smarts and skating through the neutral zone on both sides of the puck. I’m constantly impressed with Drysdale’s 200-foot abilities, which are aided by his elite skating and play reads. He helped get the puck up ice for his team and simultaneously helped to shut down the opposing teams rush. Not a small feat against the top prospects the Canadian Hockey League has to offer.”

Tyson Foerster, D, Barrie (OHL), 6-1, 194, 1-18-2002
Future Considerations Winter Ranking: 46

“With his shot being one of his best skills, Foerster was eager to show it off in this game and did so with two goals plus an assist. While his skating is still a bit of a problem, Foerster was able to keep up with the other top prospects in this game and his smarts helped him create offense through passing and good positioning. In this game he showed that if he can fix his skating to be average or just slightly above, he could be a high-end goal scorer at the next level.”

Kaiden Guhle, D, Prince Albert (WHL), 6-2, 188, 1-18-2002
Future Considerations Winter Ranking: 46

“Guhle had one of the more energetic performances in this game, and seemed to be trying to show all of the various ways he can make a positive impact on the game. With a goal, four shots and a couple big hits, he was making his presence felt all over the ice. Guhle’s ability to deceptively find and skate into open space to support the puck carrier was highly evident in this game. He wasn’t afraid to jump up into the play either and get into puck battles deep in the offensive zone, and was generally fairly effective at it as well.”

Alexis Lafreniere, LW, Rimouski (QMJHL), 6-1, 196, 11-10-2001
Future Considerations Winter Ranking: 1

“In general, it was a pretty quiet game form Lafreniere. After the first period, Lafreniere didn’t have too many touches on the puck and it was a bit hard to notice him off the puck. Having said that, he laid a few big hits in the first period and through the entire game, when he had the puck on his stick he was the most dangerous player on the ice. His ability to work in tight space with the puck, hold off opponents with his positioning, and make elite plays under pressure was second to none in this game.”

Jeremie Poirier, LW, Saint John (QMJHL), 6-0, 199, 6-2-2002
Future Considerations Winter Ranking: 13

“While his game wasn’t perfect and he had a number of turnovers, I liked the offensive tools Poirier showed off in the Top Prospects Game. He lit the lamp on a nice shot from the point and, in general, looked excellent walking the blue line of the offensive zone. His passing was generally on point, though he did have a few bad reads that led to loss of possession. Poirier has some things to clean up in his game, but I was impressed with what I saw from him against the CHL’s top draft eligibles.”