Nine Western Hockey League players, from only five teams – including two from the Saskatoon Blades – are among 30 players invited to attend Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team Selection Camp next week in Oakville, Ontario.
The two members of the Bridge City Bunch invited by Hockey Canada are defenceman Tanner Molendyk (pictured) and centre Fraser Minten. In addition, Saskatoon product Brayden Yager is one of three members of the Moose Jaw Warriors invited. The selection camp includes games Tuesday and Wednesday against a team of U Sports all-stars, that will include third-year Saskatchewan Huskies defenceman Gunner Kinniburgh. Following is the news release and selection camp roster from Hockey Canada…..
December 5, 2023
NR.090.23
THIRTY PLAYERS INVITED TO CANADA’S NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM SELECTION CAMP
World Juniors hopefuls to face U SPORTS all-stars in camp
CALGARY, Alberta – With less than a month to go before the puck drops on the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, Hockey Canada has announced the 30 players invited to Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp, Dec. 10-13 in Oakville, Ontario.
The roster selection was led by Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and Peter Anholt (Naicam, SK/Lethbridge, WHL), the under-20 lead for the Program of Excellence management group, in consultation with Brent Seabrook (Tsawwassen, BC). Head coach Alan Letang (Renfrew, ON/Sarnia, OHL), assistant coaches Gilles Bouchard (Normandin, QC/Sherbrooke, QMJHL), Shaun Clouston (Viking, AB/Kamloops, WHL) and Scott Walker (Cambridge, ON/Guelph, OHL), as well as goaltending consultant Justin Pogge (Penticton, BC), also provided input, along with coaches and general managers across the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
The 30 players, including four goaltenders, 10 defencemen and 16 forwards, will compete for a chance to wear the Maple Leaf at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
“We are excited to name the 30 players who will embark on the journey through camp and eventually on to the World Juniors,” said Anholt. “Canada has an incredible talent pool of players, and there are always difficult decisions to narrow it down. We are expecting a highly competitive camp, and we look forward to naming our final roster that will wear the Maple Leaf with pride starting on Boxing Day.”
Selection camp will take place at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex and will include practices and a pair of games against a team of U SPORTS all-stars, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT and Dec. 13 at noon ET/9 a.m. PT. Tickets for the games will be available for purchase starting Dec. 6 at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets. Individual game tickets are $25, or a two-game package is available for $40, plus applicable fees. Fans can also livestream both games at HockeyCanada.ca.
“We are grateful to the Town of Oakville for hosting us and assisting us in our preparations for the World Juniors and we are excited to give fans the opportunity to see the best under-20 players in Canada,” said Salmond. “This camp, including the two games against U SPORTS, will give us the best chance to assemble the top players to represent our country on the world stage. As part of our preparations, we remain in communication with NHL teams with the potential of teams releasing players who are eligible to represent Canada, which we anticipate updating during camp.”
Canada’s National Junior Team will travel to Malmo, Sweden on Dec. 14 for a pre-tournament camp ahead of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. As part of its preparations, Canada will open its pre-tournament schedule against a U25 team from Denmark on Dec. 19 before facing Switzerland on Dec. 22 and the United States on Dec. 23.
The 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Boxing Day when Canada takes on Finland at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT. In addition to broadcasting Canada’s pre-tournament games against Switzerland and the U.S., TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will provide extensive coverage of the event, broadcasting all 31 tournament games. TSN Radio will also provide comprehensive tournament coverage.
The IIHF World Junior Championship returns to Canada next year when Ottawa plays host from Dec. 26, 2024 to Jan. 5, 2025.
National Junior Team Selection Camp Roster
| Name | S/C | Ht. | Wt. | Born | Hometown | Team | NHL Draft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goaltenders | |||||||
| Domenic DiVincentiis | L | 6’3” | 200 | 03/04/04 | Bolton, ON | North Bay (OHL) | WPG 2022 (7/207) |
| Scott Ratzlaff | L | 6’1” | 175 | 03/09/05 | Irma, AB | Seattle (WHL) | BUF 2023 (5/141) |
| Mathis Rousseau | L | 5’11” | 172 | 09/10/04 | Boisbriand, QC | Halifax (LHJMQ) | 2024 Draft |
| Samuel St-Hilaire | L | 6’2” | 184 | 05/11/04 | St-Elzeard-de-Beauce, QC | Sherbrooke (LHJMQ) | 2024 Draft |
| Defence | |||||||
| Oliver Bonk | R | 6’2” | 179 | 01/09/05 | Ottawa, ON | London (OHL) | PHI 2023 (1/22) |
| Michael Buchinger | L | 6’0” | 191 | 04/25/04 | Markham, ON | Guelph (OHL) | STL 2022 (3/88) |
| Jorian Donovan | L | 6’2” | 195 | 04/05/04 | Richmond, ON | Brantford (OHL) | OTT 2022 (5/136) |
| Jake Furlong | L | 6’1” | 200 | 03/04/04 | Upper Tantallon, NS | Halifax (LHJMQ) | SJS 2022 (5/140) |
| Maveric Lamoureux | R | 6’7” | 214 | 01/13/04 | Hawkesbury, ON | Drummondville (LHJMQ) | ARI 2022 (1/29) |
| Tristan Luneau | R | 6’2” | 195 | 01/12/04 | Victoriaville, QC | Gatineau (LHJMQ) | ANA 2022 (2/53) |
| Denton Mateychuk | L | 5’11” | 191 | 07/12/04 | Dominion City, MB | Moose Jaw (WHL) | CBJ 2022 (1/12) |
| Tanner Molendyk | L | 6’0” | 181 | 02/03/05 | McBride, BC | Saskatoon (WHL) | NSH 2023 (1/24) |
| Ty Nelson | R | 5’10” | 206 | 03/30/04 | Toronto, ON | North Bay (OHL) | SEA 2022 (3/68) |
| Noah Warren | R | 6’6” | 225 | 07/15/04 | Montréal, QC | Victoriaville (LHJMQ) | ANA 2022 (2/42) |
| Forwards | |||||||
| Owen Allard | L | 6’2” | 200 | 01/13/04 | Ottawa, ON | Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) | 2024 Draft |
| Denver Barkey | L | 5’9” | 154 | 04/27/05 | Newmarket, ON | London (OHL) | PHI 2023 (3/95) |
| Owen Beck | R | 6’0” | 190 | 02/03/04 | Port Hope, ON | Peterborough (OHL) | MTL 2022 (2/33) |
| Macklin Celebrini | L | 6’0” | 190 | 06/13/06 | Vancouver, BC | Boston University (HE) | 2024 Draft |
| Easton Cowan | L | 5’10” | 171 | 05/20/05 | Mount Brydges, ON | London (OHL) | TOR 2023 (1/28) |
| Nate Danielson | R | 6’2” | 188 | 09/27/04 | Red Deer, AB | Brandon (WHL) | DET 2023 (1/9) |
| Jordan Dumais | R | 5’9” | 174 | 04/15/04 | Montréal, Que. | Halifax (LHJMQ) | CBJ 2022 (3/96) |
| Jagger Firkus | R | 5’11” | 160 | 04/29/04 | Irma, AB | Moose Jaw (WHL) | SEA 2022 (2/35) |
| Conor Geekie | L | 6’4” | 197 | 05/05/04 | Strathclair, MB | Wenatchee (WHL) | ARI 2022 (1/11) |
| Paul Ludwinski | L | 5’11” | 187 | 04/23/04 | Pickering, ON | Kingston (OHL) | CHI 2022 (2/39) |
| Fraser Minten | L | 6’1” | 194 | 07/05/04 | Vancouver, BC | Saskatoon (WHL) | TOR 2022 (2/38) |
| Carson Rehkopf | L | 6’1” | 195 | 01/07/05 | Vaughan, ON | Kitchener (OHL) | SEA 2023 (2/50) |
| Matthew Savoie | R | 5’10” | 176 | 01/01/04 | St. Albert, Alta. | Wenatchee (WHL) | BUF 2022 (1/9) |
| Markus Vidicek | L | 5’10” | 162 | 03/21/04 | Kirkland, QC | Halifax (LHJMQ) | 2024 Draft |
| Matthew Wood | R | 6’3” | 190 | 02/06/05 | Nanaimo, BC | University of Connecticut (HE) | NSH 2023 (1/15) |
| Brayden Yager | R | 6’0” | 170 | 01/03/05 | Saskatoon, SK | Moose Jaw (WHL) | PIT 2023 (1/14) |
| Staff | |||
| President & Chief Executive Officer | Katherine Henderson | Thunder Bay, ON | Hockey Canada |
| Chief Operating Officer | Pat McLaughlin | Saint John, NB | Hockey Canada |
| Senior Vice-President, High Performance & Hockey Operations | Scott Salmond | Creston, BC | Hockey Canada |
| Management Group | Peter Anholt | Naicam, SK | Lethbridge (WHL) |
| Management Group | Brent Seabrook | Tsawwassen, BC | Hockey Canada |
| Head Coach | Alan Letang | Renfrew, ON | Sarnia (OHL) |
| Assistant Coach | Gilles Bouchard | Normandin, QC | Sherbrooke (LHJMQ) |
| Assistant Coach | Shaun Clouston | Viking, AB | Kamloops (WHL) |
| Assistant Coach | Scott Walker | Cambridge, ON | Guelph (OHL) |
| Goaltending Consultant | Justin Pogge | Penticton, BC | Hockey Canada |
| Video Coach | James Emery | Calgary, AB | Hockey Canada |
| Equipment Manager | Chris Cook | Ottawa, ON | Hamilton (OHL) |
| Equipment Manager | Tyler Jay | Charlottetown, PE | Saint John (LHJMQ) |
| Athletic Therapist | Andy Brown | Owen Sound, ON | Owen Sound (OHL) |
| Athletic Therapist | Kevin Elliott | Charlottetown, PE | Hockey Canada |
| Strength & Conditioning Coach | Sean Young | Ennismore, ON | Ottawa (OHL) |
| Team Physician | Dr. R.J. Mackenzie | Albert Bridge, NS | Cape Breton (LHJMQ) |
| Mental Performance Consultant | Luke Madill | Kirkland, QC | Hockey Canada |
| Senior Manager, Hockey Operations | Benoit Roy | Sudbury, ON | Hockey Canada |
| Manager, Hockey Operations | Mitchell Furlotte | Bathurst, NB | Hockey Canada |
| Security Liaison | Jason Smart | Red Deer, AB | Hockey Canada |
| Media Relations | Esther Madziya | Lethbridge, AB | Hockey Canada |