TORONTO, Ont. and MONTREAL, Que. – With Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Selection Camp rolling to a close with an 8-0 win over the Czech Republic, Hockey Canada has named the 22 players who will represent the country at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship in Toronto and Montreal, including seven representatives from the Western Hockey League.
 
WHL players set to don the Maple Leaf as members of Team Canada include goaltenders Carter Hart (Sherwood Park, Alta./Everett Silvertips) and Connor Ingram (Imperial, Sask./Kamloops Blazers); defencemen Jake Bean (Calgary, Alta./Calgary Hitmen), Kale Clague (Lloydminster, Alta./Brandon Wheat Kings) and Noah Juulsen (Abbotsford, B.C./Everett Silvertips); and forwards Mathew Barzal (Coquitlam, B.C./Seattle Thunderbirds) and Dillon Dube (Cochrane, Alta./Kelowna Rockets).
 
Five players who competed for Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship – Barzal, Thomas Chabot (Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, Que./Saint John, QMJHL), Julien Gauthier (Pointe-aux-Trembles, Que./Val-d’Or, QMJHL), Mitchell Stephens (Peterborough, Ont./Saginaw, OHL), and Dylan Strome (Mississauga, Ont./Erie, OHL) – will don the Team Canada crest for the holiday tournament.
 
“We’ve had a great selection camp, and I can see this group of players really beginning to work together and getting better every day,” said Dominique Ducharme, head coach, Canada’s National Junior Team. “It’s never easy to make the difficult decisions of releasing players, and that’s a testament to Canada’s depth of talent. Kris, Tim and I are looking forward to continuing to work with these players to fine-tune our game and be ready when we start the tournament on Boxing Day.”
 
20 CHL players on Canada’s National Junior Team:
Goaltenders:
Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips)
Connor Ingram (Kamloops Blazers)
Defencemen:
Jake Bean (Calgary Hitmen)
Thomas Chabot (Saint John Sea Dogs)*
Kale Clague (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Noah Juulsen (Everett Silvertips)
Jérémy Lauzon (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
Philippe Myers (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
Forwards:
Mathew Barzal (Seattle Thunderbirds)*
Anthony Cirelli (Oshawa Generals)
Dillon Dubé (Kelowna Rockets)
Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles)
Julien Gauthier (Val-d’Or Foreurs)*
Mathieu Joseph (Saint John Sea Dogs)
Michael McLeod (Mississauga Steelheads)
Taylor Raddysh (Erie Otters)
Nicolas Roy (Chicoutimi Saguenéens)
Blake Speers (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Mitchell Stephens (Saginaw Spirit)*
Dylan Strome (Erie Otters)*
* – returning player
 
The puck will officially drop on the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, a Canadian holiday tradition, on Dec. 26 in Montreal and Toronto. In its opening game, Canada will face Russia at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto at 8 p.m. ET.
 
Canada plays three pre-tournament games as part of the Road to the World Juniors: Dec. 19 in Montreal against Finland, Dec. 21 in Ottawa against the Czech Republic, and Dec. 23 in Toronto against Switzerland. Extensive coverage of the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship is planned by TSN and RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, including Canada’s three pre-tournament games; check local listings for details.
 
For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s National Junior Team, and the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook and Twitter, as well as #WorldJuniors.
 
Note to media: Full game stats and story recapping the final selection camp game featuring Canada and the Czech Republic are available at HockeyCanada.ca; post-game interviews can be downloaded: English French.
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Lisa Dornan                            Mark Halliday                          
Director, Communications        Vice-President, Marketing & Communications  
Hockey Canada                        Hockey Canada
(403) 510-7046                         (416) 315-1409
ldornan@hockeycanada.ca   mhalliday@hockeycanada.ca