Dima Zhilkin Among First Four Named To CHL USA Prospects Challenge Roster

Saginaw Spirit captain Dima Zhilkin has been named as one of the first four players on team CHL for this year's CHL/USA prospects challenge.

Zhilkin, 17, has gotten off to a lightning fast start to the 2026-27 campaign, scoring two goals and three assists in two games during the opening weekend, earning him OHL player of the week status.

The dynamic winger is a projected top-10 pick in this season's upcoming draft, and very well could be the very first OHLer taken off the board.

Now, he'll take on a big role for team CHL this December, as they take on the top USNTDP prospects in Chicoutimi and Quebec City on Dec. 1 and 2, respectively.

Zhilkin has been a standout internationally in the past while playing for Canada, recently including a five goal, two assist showing at the U18 Worlds, as well as a very strong performance at the World Junior Summer Showcase as he looks to crack Canada's WJC team this winter as a draft-eligible.

The Windsor native will be joined by QMJHL representatives Alexis Joseph and Carter Meyer, and WHL representative Brock England.

The rest of the team CHL roster is expected to be announced in October. Other potential candidates for the team include Zhilkin's Saginaw teammate in Levi Harper, Guelph's Jaakko Wycisk, London's Cooper McAslan, Niagara's Ryerson Edgar, Kingston's Aleks Kulemin and more.

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