Typically, when fans of the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) Hamilton Tiger-Cats tune into the team’s home games at Hamilton Stadium, it is to watch their team battle it out on the gridiron against another CFL club.
But, on May 24, instead of professionals, spectators at Hamilton Stadium-- and fans watching on TV two days later-- watched a collection of the finest high school football players in the country take on one another in a highly anticipated annual Prospect game.
Kaden Barnstable, a quarterback for Cochrane’s Bow Valley High School, was one of just four signal-callers selected to play in the national prospect game. Barnstable has been the Bobcats’ starting quarterback since Grade 10 and the upcoming 2025 season will be his last with Bow Valley.
"I'm excited to work with some of the best coaches in Canada, along with other players, to get us ready and then have a chance to showcase some things we've learned from the coaches and the skill sets we bring to the table on the field during game day,” Barnstable said before the May 24 game.
The process of becoming one of 75 was a long and arduous one for Barnstable and was a journey that took him to prospect camps around the country. The selection process included a cross-country tour visiting eight cities featuring a professional combine setting including 40-yard dash, shuttle, vertical and broad jump events.
In the Fall, Barnstable was invited to the first prospect camp organized by CanadianFootball Chat (CFC), an online database and website that tracks draft-eligible high school football prospects in Canada. That camp took place in Calgary this past February, where Barnstable received an invite to the CFC Fox 40 camp in Richmond, B.C., which took place in March.
On April 29, Barnstable and the rest of the prospect class were drafted into two teams coached by CFL legends Milt Stegall and Davis Sanchez. Drafted by Team Stegall, Barnstable threw the first touchdown of the game which was televised across the country on TSN on Monday, May 26. Team Stegall would go on to win this year’s prospect game.
"The CFC Prospect Game is all about setting the foundation for future success at the college and pro level,” said Duane Forde, a CFL analyst for TSN said in a press release. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for top high school prospects from coast to coast to test their skills on the national stage against the best from other provinces, under the tutelage of some of Canada’s best university coaches.”
“It also allows Canadian football fans to familiarize themselves with the next Chuba Hubbard, Kurtis Rourke, Chase Brown or Brady Oliveira before they become household names. This is a can’t miss game for hardcore fans from across the country,” Forde said.
The inaugural CFC Prospect Game on TSN took place in Ottawa at TD Place Stadium in 2019 and featured 73 of the top Canadian football prospects, including 14 who went on to sign with NCAA programs in the United States.
After a two year hiatus due to the pandemic, the CFC Prospect Game on TSN returned in 2022 with 69 of the top Canadian football prospects at TD Place Stadium. The third edition took place in 2023 and had CFL legends Davis Sanchez and Milt Stegall, both of whom are broadcasters for TSN, as team coaches.
The fourth edition was the last to be played in Ottawa last year where Team Stegall was able to enact some revenge with a 36-9 victory over Team Sanchez, setting up a rematch, and eventual back-to-back victory, for Team Stegall.
