Team Canada kicks off quest for 21st World Juniors gold medal on Boxing Day against Czechia
TORONTO, Ontario – Powered by TELUS, Hockey Canada has unveiled 27 players who will take part in Canada’s National Junior Team training camp at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario, prior to the start of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.
Congratulations to the ALLIANCE Hockey Alumni named to the
Training Camp Roster:
| Player |
Pos |
Sh |
Ht |
Wt |
DOB |
Hometown |
ALLIANCE Team |
Current Team |
| JETT LUCHANKO |
F |
R |
5'11 |
191 |
08-21-2006 |
LONDON, ON |
LONDON JR KNIGHTS |
BRANTFORD OHL |
| BRADY MARTIN |
F |
R |
6'0 |
186 |
03-16-2007 |
ELMIRA, ON |
WATERLOO WOLVES |
SAULT STE. MARIE OHL |
Schedule
The initial roster, which includes three goaltenders, nine defencemen and 15 forwards was selected by National Junior Team general manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON ), head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB) and Mark Hunter (Petrolia, ON/London, OHL), U20 lead with the Program of Excellence management group, with input from Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations.
Head coach Dale Hunter (Petrolia, ON/London, OHL), associate coach Misha Donskov (London, ON), and assistant coaches Brad Lauer (Humboldt, SK/Spokane, WHL) and Gardiner MacDougall (Bedeque, PE/Moncton, QMJHL), as well as goaltending consultant Dan De Palma (Kamloops, BC/Kamloops, WHL), also provided input.
"We are extremely excited to unveil the 27 players who will begin the road to the World Juniors at training camp in Niagara Falls,” said Millar. “This group represents the very best of Canadian junior hockey—skill, speed, sense, character, and a strong commitment to team success and the pride in representing Canada at this prestigious world championship. Our staff has worked tirelessly to identify a roster that embodies the identity we want Canada to play, and we’re confident these athletes are ready for the challenge ahead. This process and team build came with many difficult decisions. We are confident in this group as we begin our preparations for Minneapolis on December 12.”
Hockey Canada will continue to work with National Hockey League (NHL) teams regarding players who are eligible for the IIHF World Junior Championship, and roster additions will be announced as necessary, pending player availability.
Among the 27 players are:
• Five who have made their National Hockey League debuts (Cootes, Luchanko, Martin, Misa, Parekh)
• Six who played at the 2025 World Juniors (Beaudoin, George, Ivankovic, Luchanko, Martone, McKenna)
• Eight who won gold at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship (Carels, Cootes, Ivankovic, Martin, Reschny, Smith, Verhoeff)
• Eleven who won gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championships (Aitcheson, Beaudoin, Brunicke, Desnoyers, George, Greentree, Iginla, Ivankovic, Luchanko, Martone, McKenna)
• Seven who captured a gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Desnoyers, Ivankovic, Martin, McKenna, O’Brien, Reid, Smith)
“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to coach this exceptional group of young men as we head into the World Juniors,” added Dale Hunter . “Our goal is clear—we’re going to Minnesota to compete for a gold medal. I’m excited to get to work, bring this team together and help these players play the kind of fast, disciplined, determined hockey Canadians expect.”
Canada’s National Junior Team will host training camp from Dec. 13-22 in Niagara Falls. It will also face off against Sweden on Dec. 17 and 20 in Kitchener, and London, Ontario, before taking on Denmark on Dec. 23 in Mankato, Minnesota, in pre-tournament action.
The 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Boxing Day with four games, which includes Canada taking on Czechia at the 3M Arena at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT, with pre-game coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 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 Team Canada’s first two pre-tournament games.
For more information on the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit the official tournament website at IIHF.com.
Additionally, hockey fans interested in attending the IIHF World Junior Championship when it returns to Canada next year, can sign up for the 2027 World Junior Priority Draw now for free. With ticket demand expected to exceed availability, the priority draw is the best chance for fans to cheer on Team Canada in Edmonton & Red Deer. Visit HC.ca/PriorityDraw for more information.
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.