Canada has revealed the official list of 25 players it will take into the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship which begins Friday in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Canada will open the tournament against Czechia, in hopes of starting their tournament on the right foot after two straight early exits.

There were no surprises or late additions following last week’s cuts, only that Canada will carry three goalies for this tournament after debating whether or not to simply keep two and not have the allotted third.

In addition to finalizing its roster, Hockey Canada announced that returning forward Porter Martone will captain this year’s team, joined by alternate captains Cole Beaudoin, another returnee, and Harrison Brunicke, who started this season in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Here’s the full list of players looking to break the Canadian medal drought.

Team Canada World Juniors Roster 2026

Forwards

• Carter Bear, LW/C, Everett Silvertips (DET)
• Cole Beaudoin, C, Barrie Colts (UTA)
• Braeden Cootes, C/RW, Seattle Thunderbirds (VAN)
• Caleb Desnoyers, C, Moncton Wildcats (UTA)
• Liam Greentree, RW, Windsor Spitfires (LAK)
• Michael Hage, C, Michigan (MTL)
• Tij Iginla, LW, Kelowna Rockets (UTA)
• Jett Luchanko, C, Brantford Bulldogs (PHI)
• Brady Martin, C, Soo Greyhounds (NSH)
• Porter Martone, RW, Michigan State (PHI)
• Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (2026)
• Michael Misa, C/LW, San Jose Sharks (SJS)
• Sam O'Reilly, C/RW, London Knights (TBL)
• Cole Reschny, C/LW, North Dakota (CGY)

Defense

• Kashawn Aitcheson, D, Barrie Colts (NYI)
• Harrison Brunicke, D, Pittsburgh Penguins (PIT)
• Carson Carels, D, Prince George Cougars (2026)
• Ben Danford, D, Brantford Bulldogs (TOR)
• Ethan MacKenzie, D, Edmonton Oil Kings
• Zayne Parekh, D, Calgary Flames (CGY)
• Cameron Reid, D, Kitchener Rangers (NSH)
• Keaton Verhoeff, D, North Dakota (2026)

Goalies

• Carter George, G, Owen Sound Attack (LAK)
• Jack Ivankovic, G, Michigan (NSH)
• Joshua Ravensbergen, G, Prince George Cougars (SJS)

Canada World Juniors Roster Analysis

This is the best team in the tournament on paper, as is often the case. As we’ve learned more often of late, however, it’s not always the best team on paper that comes out on top. 

Canada is smarting from two straight quarterfinal exits and a rare back-to-back podium shutout. That seems to help fuel this team which will have a number of returnees it can lean more heavily on over the course of the tournament. One of them will be Martone, who has a chance to be among the best forwards in this tournament and could be a handful for opposing teams. 

Canada’s forward group is impressive with reigning CHL Player of the Year Gavin McKenna returning for his second World Juniors. Cole Beaudoin and Jett Luchanko are another pair of forwards with experience. Then you throw in Michael Misa who started the year in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks, and you’ve got the makings of a fairly explosive lineup.

Canada’s top six is as good as any as it appears they plan to trot out a top line of Tij Iginla with Misa and Martone, while McKenna will skate with first-round picks Michael Hage and Brady Martin. The Canadians also have a really nasty matchups line that will feature Cole Reschny with Beaudoin and Luchanko, both of whom have a ton of experience being a thorn in the opposition’s side at both ends of the ice.

On the blue line, Canada has two players with NHL experience in Zayne Parekh and Harrison Brunicke, while they’ve got first-rounder Cameron Reid in their top four and some real intrigue throughout the rest of their blue line.

Underager Carson Carels has emerged as a potential top-four option for Canada on the left side. He hasn’t been significantly in the top-pick conversation this year, but getting a top-four role at 17 is no small feat for any player, especially when it comes to Canada’s roster. We’ll see what that means for Kashawn Aitcheson and Ethan MacKenzie, who both appeared poised for slots in the regular lineup on the left side.

Ben Danford, meanwhile should be the primary shutdown option on the right side and could be paired with either MacKenzie or Aitcheson in that role. Lastly, 2026 draft-eligible Keaton Verhoeff may be the seventh or eighth defenseman primarily, which speaks to the depth in the overall group.

The reason Canada’s status as a favorite is more solid, however, is its goaltending. They have the most accomplished trio of netminders for any team in this tournament and it isn’t particularly close. Both Carter George and Jack Ivankovic were on the team last year and are back for more. They’ve also been in the net for each of the last two gold medals at the World Under-18 Championship and have shined brightly in the toughest games. That likely leaves Joshua Ravensbergen as the No. 3 goalie, which seems absurd given the struggles some other countries are going to face in net this year and how often goaltending was Canada’s Achilles’ heel. It won’t be this year.

Canada opens the tournament with the Czechs on Friday night at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air live on TSN in Canada and NHL Network in the United States.

FloHockey will be providing complete on-the-ground coverage throughout the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. Follow all the action here.

Team Canada World Junior Championship 2026 Schedule

Friday, December 26

• 8:30 p.m. ET - Czechia vs Canada

Saturday, December 27

• 4:30 p.m. ET - Latvia vs Canada

Monday, December 29

• 8:30 p.m. ET - Canada vs Denmark

Wednesday, December 31

• 8:30 p.m. ET - Canada vs Finland

2026 World Junior Championship Teams

View the list of teams, by group, for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Group A

• USA
• Germany
• Switzerland
• Sweden
• Slovakia

Group B

• Canada
• Czechia
• Latvia
• Denmark
• Finland

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FloHockey will be on site for complete coverage of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can expect game-by-game coverage of both Team USA and Team Canada from FloHockey's experts, interviews with key players and coaches and much more. Follow FloHockey's WJC coverage here.

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