Wright, Savoie looking to impress at CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

KITCHENER, Ontario -- Forwards Shane Wright and Matt Savoie, two of the three top players in NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings of North American skaters eligible for the 2022 NHL Draft, are among 40 blue chip prospects scheduled to participate in the 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS).

The game will feature 18 of the top 32 players in Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2022 draft at Bell Centre in Montreal on July 7-8. Players for the game were selected by NHL teams in conjunction with NHL Central Scouting.
Wright (6-foot, 185 pounds), a right-shot center for Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League, is No. 1 in the midterm ranking. He is 11th in the OHL with 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists) in 52 games and has scored 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in his past six games. The 18-year-old had one assist in two games for Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship before the tournament was canceled Dec. 29 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
"Every year, for the CHL players, this is something that you look forward to playing in, and look forward to competing," Wright told TSN.ca. "It's a great test to put yourself up against the best players in the draft class in the CHL. I'm super happy it's back on and really looking forward to competing in it."
The 2021 top prospects game was canceled by the Canadian Hockey League because of COVID-19 concerns.
"Obviously you want to show well to the scouts, make sure you're playing hard and showcasing yourself and your skills and you want to be the best player out there," Wright said. "You want to make sure that you're making a difference and making a name for yourself. I'll definitely be very competitive, and it should be a lot of fun."
Savoie (5-9, 179) will join Wright, who will captain Team Red.
"It's not too often that you can get with a bunch of your peers and all the draft eligible players and play in a big game like this," Savoie said. "It'll be really competitive and a highly entertaining game. I'm looking forward to this in Kitchener."
Savoie, No. 3 in Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters, is seventh in the Western Hockey League with 76 points (28 goals, 48 assists), 32 on the power play (11 goals, 21 assists) in 56 games for Winnipeg.
Four other skaters among the top 10 in Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters are expected to play: forwards Conor Geekie (No. 4) of Winnipeg and defensemen Pavel Mintyukov (No. 5) of Saginaw (OHL), Denton Mateychuk (No. 9) of Moose Jaw (WHL) and Tristan Luneau (No. 10) of Gatineau in the Quebec Major Junior League.
Mateychuk (5-11, 188), who will captain Team White, is fourth among WHL defensemen with 56 points (nine goals, 47 assists) in 57 games. He became the first Moose Jaw player with six assists in a game (10-4 win against Regina on Saturday) since forward Derek Krestanovich on March 6, 2002.
"I think for evaluation purposes, you get to watch these guys play with better players, and they generally can raise their game in those situations," Saginaw coach Chris Lazary said. "You're really going to learn a lot about each of these players, about issues that you like or don't like when they're playing against better caliber. From an evaluation standpoint, it's massive for scouts and NHL teams to see them in that kind of fishbowl situation to see how they perform."
Tyler Brennan of Prince George (WHL) is No. 1 in Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American goalies and will play for Team White. Ivan Zhigalov of Sherbrooke (QMJHL) is No. 2 and will play for Team Red.
The game will include 18 players from the OHL, 15 from the WHL and seven from the QMJHL.
Coaching the teams will be retired NHL players and current TSN Hockey analysts Jamie McLennan (Team Red) and Jeff O'Neill (Team White).

2022 CHL/NHL TOP PROSPECTS GAME

(NHL Central Scouting midterm ranking of North American skaters/goalies in parenthesis)

Team Red

GOALIES: (2G) Ivan Zhigalov, Sherbrooke, QMJHL; (26G) Reid Dyck, Swift Current, WHL
DEFENSEMEN: (36) Michael Buchinger, Guelph, WHL; (39) Jorian Donovan, Hamilton, OHL; (42) Isaiah George, London, OHL; (20) Kevin Korchinski, Seattle, WHL; (15) Maveric Lamoureux, Drummondville, QMJHL; (25) Ty Nelson, North Bay, OHL
FORWARDS:(86) Maxim Barbashev, Moncton, QMJHL; (51) Josh Filmon, Swift Current, WHL; (11) Luca Del Bel Belluz, Mississauga, OHL; (35) David Goyette, Sudbury, OHL; (43) Jordan Gustafson, Seattle, WHL; (47) Hunter Haight, Barrie, OHL; (34) Fraser Minten, Kamloops, WHL; (23) Matthew Pirtras, Guelph, WHL; (3) Matt Savoie, Winnipeg, WHL; (50) Matthew Seminoff, Kamloops, WHL; (1) Shane Wright, Kingston, OHL; (27) Danny Zhilkin, Guelph, WHL

TEAM WHITE

GOALIES: (1G) Tyler Brennan, Prince George, WHL; (7G) Mason Beaupit, Spokane, WHL
DEFENSEMEN:(30) Mats Lindgren, Kamloops, WHL; (10) Tristan Luneau, Gatineau, QMJHL; (9) Denton Mateychuk, Moose Jaw, WHL; (5) Pavel Mintyukov, Saginaw, OHL; (21) Owen Pickering, Swift Current, WHL; (49) Noah Warren, Gatineau, QMJHL
FORWARDS: (19) Owen Beck, Mississauga, OHL; (33) Jagger Firkus, Moose Jaw, WHL; (16) Nathan Gaucher, Quebec, QMJHL; (62) Ruslan Gazizov, London, OHL; (4) Conor Geekie, Winnipeg, WHL; (61) Jake Karabela, Guelph, WHL; (29) Paul Ludwinski, Kingston, OHL; (28) Bryce McConnell-Barker, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL; (46) Vinzenz Rohrer, Ottawa, OHL; (13) Matyas Sapovaliv, Saginaw, OHL; (85) Reid Schaefer, Seattle, WHL; (89) Antonin Verreault, Gatineau, QMJHL
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