With the 2024 Under-17 Hockey Challenge just around the corner (starting on Nov. 3), Canada has fielded two teams full of the country’s best players for the tournament. While these players are a couple of seasons away from being NHL-Draft eligible, there is still a handful from each team (Team White and Team Red) to watch as the tournament nears.
Players to Watch on Team Red
C Maddox Dagenais – Québec Remparts (Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League)
With hockey in his bloodline (his father Pierre was a QMJHL standout in the late ’90s), Maddox Dagenais has been one of the strongest first-year players in the QMJHL. He started his 2024-25 rookie season with the Remparts, showcasing his strong playmaking ability and two-way game, which helped him get drafted number one overall in the 2024 QMJHL Draft. He finished last season with 42 goals, 39 assists, and 81 points while playing with the Quinte Red Devils U16 AAA team. So far this season, he has played in 10 games and has recorded 13 points on six goals and seven assists.
What has stood out in Dagenais’ game has been the playmaking mentioned above, his ability to improvise when needed, and his ability to get creative with the puck on his stick. His playmaking has helped him become a vital part of the Remparts’ powerplay, having tallied three goals and five assists on the man advantage. While his playmaking is his strong suit so far in his young junior career, he also possesses a high-level shot. If he can continue his strong season with Team Red in the tournament, Dagenais will end up on many people’s radars sooner rather than later.
D Landon DuPont – Everett Silvertips (Western Hockey League)
One of only three defencemen to ever be granted exceptional status by the Canadian Hockey League (CHL); not having Landon DuPont in this piece would be silly. The 15-year-old was picked first overall in the WHL in 2024. As a young defenceman at any level, most are treated with gentle hands and are eased into playing, but that has not been the case for DuPont. He has been the league’s top rookie scoring-wise, with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in nine games.
Even with his numbers being as strong as they are, his overall play has been even better. He has shown that his play is beyond his years while being able to use his speed and mobility to be shifty enough at both ends of the ice to get himself out of tight spots and then able to make quick plays with or without the puck. Defensively, this helps him become a complete shut-down defenceman, closing gaps and using his stick to his advantage. For a player his age to be playing at the level is exceptional (no pun intended), and a strong showing in the tournament will only heighten the hype for the 15-year-old star defenceman.
C Jaxon Jacobson – Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
After being the second Brandon Wheat Kings AAA organization player to ever play as an under-ager on the Under-18 team (Tanner Kaspick), Jaxon Jacobson finished his time in minor hockey with a massive season of 37 goals, 69 assists, and 106 points. Not only did he do this as an under-age player, but he also spent seven games with the Wheat Kings WHL team, tallying six points in those seven games and impressed immensely. He has carried that over into this season and has already matched his 2023-24 total with the team, having six points in the first nine games of the 2024-25 season.
While Jacobson is on the smaller side, standing 5-foot-9 and only 176 pounds, he has not let that slow him down on the ice. He can use his strong hockey IQ and creativity to keep himself out of trouble when needed, but he also uses them to help set himself and his teammates up. He has a strong passing ability and puck-handling skills to be a strong playmaker. But his strongest offensive asset is his shot, which has an excellent chance to end up at an elite level when it is all said and done. Defensively, he uses that IQ and vision to position himself well to take away passing lanes and shut plays down from his centre position.
Other Players on Team Red to Watch For
- Joe Iginla, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
- G Carter Esler, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Players to Watch on Team White
LW Ethan Belchetz – Windsor Spitfires (Ontario Hockey League)
One of the taller players in the OHL and the number one overall pick of the league’s 2024 Draft by the Windsor Spitfires (who have three players playing in the tournament), Ethan Belchetz is more than just size. The 6-foot-5 winger has excellent vision on the ice, helping him be one of the Spitfires’ top playmaking forwards. There have been times when the 16-year-old has made plays that would make an NHL player blush, making them look easier than they are, too. His playmaking has been very prevalent on the power play, where three of his assists have come from. Given his size, he has shown to be a power forward on the wing for the Spitfires and uses his length to help protect the puck while also being able to handle it with the best of them.
Related: Windsor Spitfires Name Ethan Belchetz Top Pick in 2024 OHL Draft
Belchetz has had a hot start to his rookie season in the OHL, tallying 10 points in just eight games so far. He has also helped the Spitfires get off to a hot start alongside Los Angeles Kings 2024 Draft pick Liam Greentree. He is another player who has high-end playmaking skills and a top-notch shot. His overall playing style resembles former NHLer Rick Nash, whom Belchetz models his game after.
D Ryan Lin – Vancouver Giants (WHL)
One of not only Canada’s best but one of North America’s best 2008-born defencemen, Ryan Lin has had some lofty hopes placed upon his shoulders heading into his first full junior season with the Vancouver Giants. So far, he has not disappointed. The sixth overall pick from the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft has looked mature beyond his years with his all-around play from the backend of the ice. While he spent a handful of games with the Giants last season (one regular season game and three playoff games), he finally recorded his first WHL point this season and has tallied 11 assists. While the goal-scoring has not yet come, Lin has played a vital role for his team this season. This is thanks to his strong off-puck play, which is helped out by his IQ and vision. He has a knack for finding himself in the right spot more times than not and is a strong defender on the ice.
Nothing new… make that 11 goals for Cameron Schmidt and 11 assists for Ryan Lin@WHLGiants | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/pJwTbyHeUB
— The WHL (@TheWHL) October 14, 2024
Offensively, Lin’s playmaking abilities have been on display full-force to start the season, with the 11 assists mentioned above to his credit. Not only has he been strong in five-on-five play, but he has held down the fort on the first powerplay unit, playing the “quarterback” spot and chipping in with six assists on the man advantage. After being one of Canada’s standout players in the 2024 Youth Olympic Games, he has carried that momentum into his time with the Giants and will look to continue doing so in the tournament.
D Keaton Verhoeff – Victoria Royals (WHL)
Another player with a hockey bloodline, with his cousins being Colton and Kirby Dach, Keaton Verhoeff possesses a very mature and calm game. The fourth overall pick of the WHL’s 2023 Prospects Draft, Verhoeff made his WHL debut last season and played in the playoffs for the Royals after injuries ravaged them. While being the youngest player on the ice for the most part, he more than held his own and earned the praise of his head coach, James Patrick, for how he handled himself and played for his team.
He is another player the Canadians will have representing them with plenty of size, standing at 6-foot-4, and he uses it entirely to his advantage at both ends of the ice. Offensively, he uses his reach to protect the puck while working on the blue line, which helps him get pucks into areas others cannot. Defensively, his range is on full display to keep opponents at bay and hold them to the outside of the zone when Verhoeff can get full extension. He also uses his size to his advantage physically, not having a problem throwing his weight around when given the chance. Overall, he possesses a solid two-way game as a defenceman, and for his size, he is a strong skater and can maneuver his way down the ice very smoothly. Verhoeff has tallied three goals, five assists, and eight points through eight games this season.
Other Players on Team White to Watch For
- F Mathis Preston, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
- F Adam Valentini, Chicago Steel (USHL)
- F Jean-Christoph Lemiuex, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Plenty of Talent on Both Teams
While these players will likely stand out to fans who watch the tournament, both teams that Canada will have participating will have plenty of talent to keep an eye on. Many will likely hear their names being called in the upcoming years at the NHL Draft, as players like Connor McDavid, Marc-André Fleury, and Taylor Hall have all participated in the tournament while representing Canada.
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