We’re 143 days until the start of the 2025 World Junior Championship in Ottawa, Ontario.
So, naturally, it’s a perfect time to throw out a potential roster for the hosts, Team Canada. Canada just completed their week-long World Junior Summer Showcase, starting at home in Windsor before finishing off with two games in Plymouth. They lost to Sweden in a game the Canadians dominated puck control, but got beat thanks to the great goaltending of Melker Thelin. Canada then avoided a late-game collapse against Finland to win 8-6 before losing in the shootout to the Americans on Saturday to close things off.
What can you take out of a tournament like that? Not much. It’s fun for the summer and it’s a chance for the coaching staff to see where the players are at this point, but they’re not making any decisions based off games in August and there’s still plenty of hockey to be played between now and December 26.
Still, the Canadians are looking to bounce back after a brutal quarterfinal loss to Czechia in Sweden last year. It ended a two-year gold medal streak, so you have to imagine they’re going to go all out to win in the nation’s capital – especially in an effort to beat their biggest rivals and defending champions, the United States.
The Canadians have the chance to bring back seven players from the 2024 team that fell in the quarterfinals – Macklin Celebrini, Matthew Wood, Brayden Yager, Carson Rehkopf, Easton Cowan, Oliver Bonk and third-string goaltender Scott Ratzlaff. I expect six of them to be back, with Celebrini set to take center stage with the San Jose Sharks this year.
Let’s start with the forwards. Bradly Nadeau has a shot at making the Carolina Hurricanes out of training camp, but I doubt it’ll last and he’ll be loaned out to the WJC team after some time in the AHL. Pairing him up with Brayden Yager and Riley Heidt – two long-time friends who spent significant time playing with each other – will make for an extremely dangerous scoring line.
The second line combines tenacity, speed and skill. Tij Iginla and Beckett Sennecke were dynamite together at the World Junior Summer Showcase and need to stick together. Throw in Sennecke’s Oshawa Generals teammate Cal Ritchie in the middle and you’ve got one of the toughest lines in the tournament to deal with.
The third is all about skill. Easton Cowan will return, but in a more prominent role than his checking/penalty kill run last year would suggest. Berkly Catton can burn through opponents with his speed, and Gavin McKenna would easily challenge for the top spot in the 2025 NHL Draft if he was born a year earlier. This trio would be a line-matching nightmare because of how dynamically dangerous they are.
And then there’s the fourth line. Carson Rehkopf’s goal-scoring. Denver Barkey’s energy and playmaking. Porter Martone’s overall menacing play. Throw in Matthew Wood as the 13th forward, potentially as a power-play dynamo like he was last year, and you’ve got four players near the bottom of the lineup that would be key contributors on just about any other team in the tournament.
On the blueline, I like the idea of going with the all-London do of Sam Dickinson and Oliver Bonk. Dickinson was one of Canada’s better defenders at the World Junior Summer Showcase and is already a proven winner, taking home gold at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky and 2024 OHL Championship. Bonk is a returnee to this team, and he’ll want revenge after a shot went off him and eliminated Canada from contention on a freak bounce.
On the second line, it’s all about puck-moving. Tanner Molendyk was set to play a big role with Canada a year ago, but an injury knocked him out during the pre-tournament action. But could you imagine the destruction he and Zayne Parekh could cause at an event like this? Pure magic. It would be like having two extra forwards there, and neither are afraid to lay the body, either.
If they want a pure shutdown pair, Etienne Morin and Andrew Gibson would be the best options going. Both had good showings between Windsor and Plymouth, with Gibson, in particular, being one of the most improved prospects over the past calendar year. Carter Yakemchuk could fill a variety of roles for the Canadians, but it’s his mix of brute physicality and high-scoring, puck-moving nature that will come in handy for Canada.
In net, they definitely don’t have a Trey Augustine, but they do have some quality prospects to choose from. Scouts loved Carson Bjarnason during the World Junior Summer Showcase, and he has plenty of experience playing for Hockey Canada. The same goes for Scott Ratzlaff, who served as the third goaltender at last year’s event. It likely will come down to who impresses most in the pre-tournament to see who gets the starter’s gig, which isn’t a bad thing when you’ve got two clear favorites for the starter’s gig.
If you’re knocking the fact that most of the returning players are set to play big roles this year, that’s just silly. A ton of hockey has been played since that week and a half in Sweden, and all have a place on the team this year.
But there will be some difficult cuts, too. Colby Barlow loves to hit, and he can score as well as anyone. That could be what knocks someone like Porter Martone off, but I think Martone is just a more dynamic player. Jett Luchanko was excellent in camp, but there’s so much competition at center, with a couple player returning to the squad. Andrew Cristall was quiet at the WJSS, and they already have enough skill where I could see his size being an issue here.
Forwards
Bradly Nadeau (CAR) – Brayden Yager (PIT) – Riley Heidt (MIN)
Tij Iginla (UTH) – Cal Ritchie (COL) – Beckett Sennecke (ANA)
Easton Cowan (TOR) – Berkly Catton (SEA) – Gavin McKenna (2026)
Carson Rehkopf (SEA) – Denver Barkey (PHI) – Porter Martone (2025)
Matthew Wood (NSH)
Defensem*n
Sam Dickinson (SJS) – Oliver Bonk (PHI)
Tanner Molendyk (NSH) – Zayne Parekh (CGY)
Étienne Morin (CGY) – Andrew Gibson (NSH)
Carter Yakemchuk (OTT)
Goaltenders
Carson Bjarnason (PHI)
Scott Ratzlaff (BUF)
Notable Cuts: Colby Barlow, Ethan Gauthier, Cayden Lindstrom, Jett Luchanko, Noah Chadwick, Andrew Cristall
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