400 CHL alumni named to NHL Opening Night rosters for 2026-27
Photo by Canadian Hockey League (CHL)
TORONTO — The Canadian Hockey League's pipeline to the NHL is as wide as ever: 400 CHL graduates appear on 2026-27 NHL Opening Night rosters, accounting for 47.9 per cent of the 835 players listed across all 32 clubs.
The CHL announced the totals Tuesday as the NHL season opened. The group includes 191 OHL alumni, 128 from the WHL and 82 from the QMJHL — Penguins forward Oliver Okuliar, a Lethbridge Hurricanes and Sherbrooke Phoenix product, is counted in both league figures but once in the 400 total. All 32 NHL clubs carry at least one CHL graduate, making the CHL the most represented development league in the world, and the totals include players on injured reserve and other non-roster lists.
St. Louis leads all clubs with 19 CHL alumni, followed by Vegas (18), San Jose (17), Seattle (16), and New Jersey and Pittsburgh (15 each). Eleven clubs have rosters that are majority CHL graduates, led by Vegas (69.2 per cent), St. Louis (67.9) and Seattle (64.0).
At the franchise level, 60 of 61 current CHL clubs are represented, counting earlier franchise identities. The London Knights lead with 30 alumni, followed by Erie (16) and Barrie, Flint and Windsor (15 each). Seattle's 15 lead the WHL; Drummondville and Moncton share the QMJHL lead with 11 apiece.
The Alberta NHL clubs sit above the league average of 12.5: the Flames and Oilers each open with 14 CHL graduates. Calgary's group includes captain Mikael Backlund (Kelowna), Dustin Wolf (Everett), Zayne Parekh (Saginaw), Connor Zary (Kamloops) and Samuel Honzek (Vancouver). Edmonton's 14 feature Connor McDavid (Erie), Leon Draisaitl (Prince Albert, Kelowna), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Red Deer) and goaltender Tristan Jarry, an Edmonton Oil Kings product. Behind the bench, former WHL coach Mike Babcock opens his first season with the Oilers, one of 21 NHL head coaches with CHL roots.
The milestone chases add more Alberta flavour. McDavid needs 80 points to reach 1,300 and has extended the CHL's run of NHL scoring champions to 13 straight seasons. Draisaitl needs 47 points for 1,100. Nugent-Hopkins could set the Oilers' franchise record for games played. And in Toronto, Gavin McKenna — the Medicine Hat Tigers star — is among the CHL graduates eyeing his NHL debut.
CHL graduates also hold 19 of the NHL's 29 captaincies. Sidney Crosby (Rimouski) opens his 22nd season and will set an NHL record with his 20th as captain, passing Steve Yzerman. Five of the eight captains named this September are graduates: Connor Bedard (Chicago), Robert Thomas (St. Louis), Bo Horvat (Islanders), Drew Doughty (Los Angeles) and Thomas Chabot (Ottawa).
The release also notes the first graduates of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge on NHL rosters: Matthew Schaefer (Islanders, Erie), Michael Misa (San Jose, Saginaw), Ben Kindel (Pittsburgh, Calgary Hitmen) and Nikita Klepov (Anaheim, Saginaw). This year's event, presented by Primaris, goes Dec. 1 in Chicoutimi and Dec. 2 in Québec City.
The 400 total extends a seven-season run of at least 390 CHL alumni on Opening Night rosters. CHL graduates are also chasing a ninth straight Stanley Cup champion featuring at least 10 alumni and a fifth consecutive Conn Smythe winner — Carolina won last spring with 10, and Jordan Staal (Peterborough) took playoff MVP.