OTTAWA, Ontario – Hockey Canada has unveiled the 25 players who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Ottawa.
Three goaltenders, eight defencemen and 14 forwards were selected by head scout Al Murray (Regina, SK) and the management group, which includes Peter Anholt (Naicam, SK/Lethbridge, WHL) and Brent Seabrook (Tsawwassen, BC), with support from Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations, and player development coach Scott Walker (Cambridge, ON/Guelph, OHL). Head coach Dave Cameron (Kinkora, PE/Ottawa, OHL) and assistant coaches Mike Johnston (Dartmouth, NS/Portland, WHL), Chris Lazary (Toronto, ON/Saginaw, OHL) and Sylvain Favreau (Orleans, ON/Drummondville, QMJHL), as well as goaltending consultant Dan De Palma (Kamloops, BC/Kamloops, WHL), also provided input.
“We are excited to unveil the 25 players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada at the World Juniors, as we believe we have assembled a competitive and talented roster that will give us the best opportunity to win a gold medal on home ice,” Anholt said. “While there were many difficult decisions to make at selection camp, we want to congratulate our players, and we look forward to them wearing the Maple Leaf with pride in Ottawa.”
Among the 25 players are five who were named to the roster for the 2024 World Juniors (Bonk, Cowan, Molendyk, Rehkopf, Yager), as well as seven who won gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship (Beaudoin, George, Ivankovic, Luchanko, Martone, McKenna, Schaefer) and three who captured a gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Ivankovic, McKenna, Schaefer).
“This group of 25 players is excited for the opportunity to wear the Maple Leaf in front of Canadian fans in Ottawa, and to represent their country in our quest to win a gold medal,” Cameron said. “This is a great accomplishment for these players and their families, and we know they will enjoy the World Juniors experience while bringing the competitiveness needed for us to be successful and accomplish our goal.”
Canada’s National Junior Team will practice at the Silver Dart Arena in Petawawa, Ontario, Dec. 15-18, prior to the start of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. It will also face off against Switzerland on Dec. 19, Sweden on Dec. 21 and Czechia on Dec. 23 in pre-tournament action on the Road to the World Juniors.
The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Boxing Day with four games, which includes Canada taking on Finland at the Canadian Tire Centre at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT. TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will once again provide extensive coverage of the event, broadcasting all 29 tournament games and all three Team Canada pre-tournament games.
For more information on the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit the official tournament website at IIHF.com.
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
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For more information, please contact:
Spencer Sharkey
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada
905-906-5327
ssharkey@hockeycanada.ca