CALGARY -- Greg Watson was the hometown hero at the 2001 CHL Home Hardware Top Prospects Game.
Watson, a native of Calgary who plays for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League, scored twice and added an assist Wednesday night to lead Team Orr to a 5-3 victory over Team Cherry in the sixth annual CHL Home Hardware Top Prospects Game.
The win was the third consecutive for Team Orr, which now leads the series over Team Cherry 4-2.
Watson was rated 14th overall among North American skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau during its mid-season rankings released last month.
He certainly didn’t hurt his ranking with his performance Wednesday before a crowd of 8,855 fans at the Pengrowth Saddledome.
Watson was named the player of the game for Team Orr. Derek Roy of the Kitchener Rangers had a goal and an assist and was selected player of the game for Team Cherry.
Stephen Weiss, Colby Armstrong and Jeff Lucky also scored for Team Orr, while Robin Leblanc and Shawn Collymore had the other goals for Team Cherry.
The game showcases the CHL’s top NHL draft prospects for the upcoming June NHL entry draft. For the sixth year, coaches were Bobby Orr, the legendary ex-Boston Bruins defenceman, and Don Cherry, Hockey Night in Canada personality and former NHL coach-of-the-year with the Bruins.
Windsor Spitfires star Jason Spezza, the Brampton, Ont. native who is ranked number one on the NHL’s mid-term Central Scouting list, was held pointless.
The 2001 CHL Home Hardware Top Prospects Game was broadcast live nationally on CTV Sportsnet.
