Canada’s Roster for Summer Showcase
Canada has announced the 32 players selected to participate in the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase. The event, which serves as an initial evaluation for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, will take place from July 26 to August 1 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario. The showcase will feature practices and games involving players from Canada, the United States, Finland, and Sweden.
Among the players attending are Carson Carels and Keaton Verhoeff, both top-10 selections in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft. Carels, chosen sixth overall by the Calgary Flames, contributed one assist in five games during Canada’s bronze medal run at the 2026 WJC. He recorded 73 points in 58 games last season with the Western Hockey League. Verhoeff, selected ninth by the San Jose Sharks, had four assists in five games at the 2026 WJC and tallied 20 points in 36 games at North Dakota last season.
Eight players from Canada’s 2026 WJC roster will be at the camp. This group includes goalies such as Jack Ivankovic of the Nashville Predators, defensemen like Cameron Reid also from the Predators, and forwards including Braeden Cootes of the Vancouver Canucks, Caleb Desnoyers of the Utah Mammoth, Brady Martin of the Predators, and Cole Reschny of the Calgary Flames.
Draft Picks and OHL Representation
Seven Canadian players drafted in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft are slated to attend the showcase. Alongside Carels and Verhoeff, this group features forwards Caleb Malhotra (Canucks, No. 3), Tynan Lawrence (St. Louis Blues, No. 11), and Ethan Belchetz (Utah Mammoth, No. 17). Defensemen Daxon Rudolph (Buffalo Sabres, No. 4) and Ryan Lin (Sharks, No. 21) will also be present.
Forward Dimian Zhilkin, a projected first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, is also attending. The 17-year-old right wing recorded 75 points in 59 games last season with Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League. Gavin McKenna, the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, is eligible for the 2027 WJC but was not invited to this camp.
The Guelph Storm will send three players to the showcase: Tyler Hopkins, Ethan Czata, and Ryan Roobroeck. Hopkins, a Toronto Maple Leafs pick in 2025, was traded to Guelph in December and had 25 points in 27 games after the trade. Czata, a Tampa Bay prospect, recorded 53 points in 63 games as captain of the Niagara IceDogs last season before being dealt to Guelph in June. Roobroeck, drafted by Chicago in the second round of the 2026 NHL Draft, also played for the IceDogs last year, scoring 58 points in 49 games before his trade to Guelph in June.
Looking Ahead to the 2027 World Junior Championship
Alan Millar, general manager of Canada’s national junior team, expressed enthusiasm for the showcase, highlighting it as an important opportunity for staff to evaluate players against international competition and build team identity. Misha Donskov, an assistant coach for the 2026 WJC team, will coach Canada.
Canada aims to win the WJC for the first time since 2023, following a third-place finish at the 2026 tournament and two consecutive fifth-place finishes prior to that. The 2027 WJC is scheduled to be held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, from December 26, 2026, to January 5, 2027. Canada will compete in Group A during the preliminary round, with games at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
Finland has also released its roster for the showcase, which includes defenseman Samu Alalauri (Chicago Blackhawks, No. 66) and goalie Juuso Ainasto (Maple Leafs, No. 85), both selected in the first three rounds of the 2026 Draft. The United States and Sweden, the 2026 WJC champions, had previously announced their rosters for the World Junior Summer Showcase.
The 2027 WJC preliminary-round games for Group B, which includes Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, and the United States, will take place at Marchant Crane Centrium in Red Deer.
Source: nhl.com
