Daxon Rudolph will be one of the four alternate captains during the CHL U.S.A. Prospects Challenge along with fellow WHLers Ryan Lin and JP Hurlburt. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

Growing résumé

Rudolph named assistant captain for CHL USA Prospects Challenge

Nov 12, 2025 | 2:08 PM

Going into his draft year, Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph has had a lot of hype around him and has earned a spot on Team CHL at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge. The CHL released their leadership group on Wednesday, and Daxon Rudolph has been named one of the four alternate captains for the team.

For the 17-year-old, it serves as the fourth time in a calendar year that he will be playing for Team Canada, and he takes a lot of pride in knowing he’ll be representing with a letter on his sweater this time around.

“Every time you get named to one of these teams, it truly means a lot, and they’re always great events and great experiences. I’m really looking forward to this, and being named alternate captain is honouring. I take a lot of pride in that, and I think it’s part of who I am.”

In just his second year in the WHL, Rudolph has also been named an alternate captain for the Raiders this year. In a group that includes veteran Raiders Justice Christensen and Aiden Oiring, and newcomer Max Heise, Rudolph believes each of the Raider captains this year brings something different to the table, and that’s a big part of what has made both him and his team so effective.

“I think we all bring different things to the table. First and foremost, we try to be guys who people can lean on. I think for myself, that’s the biggest thing. It doesn’t matter your age, whether you’re 15 and newly drafted to the team, or you’re 19 years old, you need someone to lean on and ask questions. I want to be that guy for everyone and just support each and every one on the team when I can, and allow everyone to be at their best because, in the end, that’s what we need. What we want is everyone feeling good and ready to go to the rink so we can be as successful as possible on the ice.”

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In the last year, Rudolph has played a full season with the Raiders, minus four games where he was gone winning gold with Team Canada White at the U17 World Hockey Challenge. He also played every game during the Raiders’ playoff run, then won gold at the U18 World Championships during the spring, and won bronze in the summer at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. It’s been a very busy year for Rudolph with more still to come, but Rudolph loves the competition and wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m trying to keep my body as healthy as possible, but I just love it. I love hockey, so that keeps me going, and I’m having a lot of fun with it. It’s really been a blast.”

The CHL USA Prospects Challenge will have a ton of NHL scouts at the two-game tournament, and so have the buildings the Raiders have played in this year to watch Rudolph play. Online, the projection lists often have Rudolph going somewhere in the top 10 of this year’s NHL Draft.

With all that outside pressure, Rudolph credits his mom, Renee, for helping him keep a level head despite all the hype around him.

“I think my mom’s message to me ever since I was a young kid was to be humble and kind, and I think it’s kind of stuck with me. Time like this when, I mean you see the stuff on the internet and you’re kind of getting pumped up and on a higher part of the list, it means a lot. It’s pretty cool to see, but at the end of the day, it’s still pretty early on. The bigger picture is to just get better every day. The draft rankings don’t mean a whole lot, so I just lean on my parents and my support group around me.”

The CHL U.S.A. Prospects Challenge takes place in Lethbridge and Calgary on November 25 and 26, where the teams will face off in a two-game series. Last year, in the inaugural year that replaced the CHL Top Prospects game, the CHL won both games 6-1 and 3-2.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com