CHL tabs Kelowna coach Mallette to lead team at CHL USA Prospects Challenge
Published
Kelowna Rockets head coach Kris Mallette will lead the Canadian Hockey League's team when they take on USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for the inaugural CHL USA Prospects Challenge in November.
Acadie-Bathurst Titan head coach Gordie Dwyer and North Bay Battalion head coach Ryan Oulahen will round out the CHL's coaching staff.
The CHL coaching staff is also the same team that led Team Canada to a gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August. Canada finished 5-0 in that tournament while outscoring their opponents 24-4.
"We are excited to be bringing on three coaches with the level of experience of Kris, Gordie, and Ryan have to lead our Team CHL at this first-ever CHL USA Prospects Challenge," CHL president Dan MacKenzie said in a statement. " All three have extensive experience in coaching in the CHL and internationally.
"Having recently worked with a number of our 2024 NHL Draft prospects at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Kris, Gordie, and Ryan will be excellent coaches to lead the talented group of players from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL who will represent the CHL at this event."
Mallette is in his fifth season with the Rockets and led the team to a 33-30-5 record for fifth place in the WHL's Western Conference last season. The 45-year-old previously served as an assistant coach with the Rockets for six seasons and helped the team win an Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2015 to go along with a Memorial Cup appearance.
The Kelowna, B.C., native helped Canada win three times at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup as a coach and an assistant, and won a silver medal at the 2021 Capital City Challenge as head coach of Canada Red.
"I feel fortunate an honoured to be given the opportunity to represent the CHL," Mallette said in a statement. "Having a relationship with some of these players in a high-pressure environment I think I will help because it's built some trust between myself and those players.
"This event will be a great showcase for the players within the WHL and across the CHL. We as a staff have the opportunity to be the first to try and have some success at this event so I'm looking forward to the opportunity."
Announced in June, the Canada USA Prospects Challenge sets the stage for the top NHL prospects to go up against USA Hockey's under-18 team in a two-game series. The inaugural series will be hosted by the OHL's London Knights and Oshawa Generals on Nov. 26 and 27.
NHL Central Scouting will poll the 32 NHL teams on which prospects they would like to see play for the CHL team, and then the CHL management and coaching staff will build the roster based off that polling. The CHL's roster is expected to be announced by the end of October.