Some future NHL stars might be playing in the 2023 Canada Games

He didn't know it at the time, but when Stratford, P.E.I., resident Gordie Dwyer suited up for Quebec's hockey team at the 1995 Canada Games in Grand Prairie, Alta., he played against another teenager who would go on to play the most games in the history of the National Hockey League.

Patrick Marleau, who played for Saskatchewan two years before the start of a record 1,779-game career with the San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins, is just one player whose path to the NHL included a stop at the Canada Games.

The list throughout the years also includes Nova Scotians Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, and Ontario's Steven Stamkos of Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Chris Phillips, who played for Alberta before becoming the longtime captain of the Ottawa Senators, also played in the 1995 tournament.

Dwyer played 108 games in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens before a coaching career that includes the Charlottetown Islanders and his current team, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Dwyer will be among the dozens of junior hockey and NHL scouts in the rinks taking notes at the 2023 Canada Games on Prince Edward Island.

Many of the players, just 14 and 15 years old, will be drafted into Canadian junior hockey leagues, like the QMJHL, this year and be eligible for the NHL draft when they turn 18.

"It's an ultra-competitive tournament. It's best on best of a certain age group across Canada," Dwyer said.

"So, it's that first opportunity to really, for most players, to really be able to play best on best throughout the country and start to identify themselves as they build a career in the game."

Among those players is Dwyer's son, Ryan, a dual-sport athlete and one of P.E.I'.'s flag-bearers. 

"I'm sure he's really excited about the opportunity and not only to represent his province but to play in his own province as well. So, it's, you know, as a dad, as a parent … we're excited for him and looking forward to the event."

So who are the hockey players to watch at the 2023 games? CBC asked Dwyer and Charlottetown Islanders coach and general manager Jim Hulton who they think has NHL potential.

Gavin McKenna, Yukon. This was an obvious choice. The Western Hockey League, unlike the OHL and QMJHL, has already held its draft, and McKenna was the No. 1 pick. There is already plenty of hype surrounding him,

"I think a lot of people will go see him," Hulton said. "Kind of unique to come out of that territory, but just tells you how far-reaching our game has become"