Team CHL will bring plenty of size with it to Alberta at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge later this month. Yesterday I touched upon what Windsor Spitfires forward Ethan Belchetz brings to the table with his combination of size (6’5″ 227 lbs.) and skill (on pace for a 50-goal season in the OHL). Also, when I watched him at the 2024 U17 World Hockey Challenge in Sarnia, he displayed a nastiness that will fit in nicely with NHL playoff hockey.
However, Belchetz will not be the only show in town when it comes to high-end big men on display for Team CHL. Oshawa Generals forward Brooks Rogowski does not have Belchetz’s gaudy statistics this season, yet he is even more physically imposing at 6’7″, 231 pounds. Rogowski also is a center (Belchetz is a left-winger) with a penchant for a hard-working, detail-oriented approach to his craft on the defensive side of things. He will most likely be the pivot for Team CHL’s third or fourth line.
Last but definitely not least is forward Ryan Roobroeck of the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs. The 6’4″, 216 pounder was among the first three players named to Team CHL, along with d-men Ryan Lin & Xavier Villeneuve, and is listed as a nearly-unanimous top 10 pick in 2026. What’s more, Roobroeck honed his skills by competing with his brother Dylan, who himself is a 6’7″, 205 pound forward with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL. Thus far this season, Roobroeck has 21 points (11G 10A) for the IceDogs. At this point, he has received much praise for his offensive prowess, although he needs a fair amount of polish to rival Rogowski’s defensive prowess.