2025 Montréal Meltdown: Québec and the Maritimes’ elite talent on full display

Every NHLer has a picture of themselves at two years old, wearing the tiniest pair of skates while being held up by their smiling parents. They then go on to join organised hockey as early as six years old, while their parents use their hard-earned money to get them into the best programmes every year—spending thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, on equipment, enrolment fees, private schools, and more—all to bring their kids closer and closer to the dream of playing professional hockey.

The Montreal Meltdown offers a fantastic glimpse into Eastern Canada and America’s next wave of talent—the young men banging on the door of the CHL. Fifty teams, split into two age groups, face off in spirited, highly competitive bouts, determined to prove they can outplay their peers.

We’ll review the sta