Among the 27 players taking part are six from the 2025 WJC team, among them Penn State freshman forward Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
McKenna, who will turn 18 on Dec. 20, is tied for fourth among NCAA freshmen with 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 16 games this season. However, Penn State hasn't played since Nov. 22. He scored one goal in five games at the 2025 WJC but is projected for a top-six forward role this year.
"He makes elite passes," said Mark Hunter, who is leading Canada's WJC management group. "He's an elite playmaker. So we've got to make sure he's on the right line, making sure it fits his game, and put players around him who can best maximize how he sees the ice.
"Clearly you can see his brain, how it works, how quick he gets pucks to the net, and how quickly he can set up people in front for open nets."
Also back from the 2025 team are forwards Cole Beaudoin (Utah Mammoth), Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers), and Porter Martone (Philadelphia Flyers), and goalies Carter George (Los Angeles Kings) and Jack Ivankovic (Nashville Predators).
After winning the gold medal at the 2023 WJC, Canada has lost in the quarterfinals each of the past two years. The play at the 2025 WJC in Ottawa particularly was frustrating for Hockey Canada officials. Canada was assessed a tournament-high 34 minor penalties in five games, and averaged 22 penalty minutes per game. There also was a lack of dynamic play, with 13 goals in five games.
In order to change the culture of the team, Dale Hunter, who coaches the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, was brought on, along with his brother, Mark Hunter, London's general manager.
"From the first day we brought some of the kids in during the summer, the first thing I told them, the first thing I stressed, is discipline," Dale Hunter said. "You can't beat yourselves. You just can't have that. In a short tournament like this, it can be the difference between winning and losing. And often is.
"You learn from the past. And definitely, by watching last year, down to the last game, there were discipline problems with some big hits. The rules are a bit different than the leagues these kids usually play in. Yes, you've got to play hard, but you've also got to know the rules and we have to abide by them. We have to make sure we don't put ourselves in a predicament like [last year]. Yes, these are kids and yes, things are emotional. So it's our job to keep them even keel."
Dale’s pedigree as a coach is virtually unparalleled. In March he won his 1,000th game, doing it faster (1,490 games) than anyone in OHL history. He also led London to its third Memorial Cup championship last season.
As the lead of Canada's management team, Mark has been scouting WJC roster candidates for the past three months.
Also part of the management group is Alan Millar, who was appointed by Hockey Canada in June to be the first full-time general manager of the organization's Program of Excellence. His duties include being GM of the World Junior team as well as Canada's teams for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the IIHF Under-18 World Championship.
It's a new role that Hockey Canada hopes will bring stability. As it pertains to the World Junior team, it's one of a number of alterations made in the hopes of righting the ship.
Different setup. Different coach. Different attitude. And a lot of different players, including six with NHL experience: forwards Luchanko, Braeden Cootes (Vancouver Canucks), Brady Martin (Nashville Predators), and Michael Misa (San Jose Sharks), and defenseman Harrison Brunicke (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Zayne Parekh (Calgary Flames).
There also are three players to receive A ratings from NHL Central Scouting for the 2026 draft that will be at the camp: McKenna and defensemen Carson Carels (Prince George, Western Hockey League) and Keaton Verhoeff (University of North Dakota).
The plan is to have a 24-player roster for the tournament set by Dec. 22.
Canada opens the WJC against Czechia in a preliminary-round game at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis on Dec. 26.
"It's not an all-star team," Millar said. "We have to build what is really a true team. Part of that is understanding the level. The World Junior Championship is hard. It's hard to win.
"There is a type of player and a type of person that you need to help you win at this level. As a group, you need to have a vision and a mindset of what you need when it's the hardest, when you're playing those most important games, when it's tough, when you're going through adversity.
"We build our team around skill, speed, smarts and sense, and compete. We prioritize hard skill over soft skill. Players that are only good with time and space play on the perimeter. They don't compete, don't help you win."
Dale Hunter could not have said it any better.
CANADA WJC TRAINING CAMP ROSTER
GOALIES: Carter George, Owen Sound, OHL (Los Angeles Kings); Jack Ivankovic, Michigan, NCAA (Nashville Predators); Joshua Ravensbergen, Prince George, WHL (San Jose Sharks)
DEFENSEMEN: Kashawn Aitcheson, Barrie, OHL (New York Islanders); Harrison Brunicke, Pittsburgh Penguins; Carson Carels, Prince George, WHL (2026 draft eligible); Ben Danford, Brantford, OHL (Toronto Maple Leafs); Ethan Mackenzie, Edmonton, WHL (2026 draft eligible); Zayne Parekh, Calgary Flames; Cameron Reid, Kitchener, OHL (Nashville Predators); Jackson Smith, Penn State, NCAA (Columbus Blue Jackets); Keaton Verhoeff, North Dakota, NCAA (2026 draft eligible)
FORWARDS: Carter Bear, Everett, WHL (Detroit Red Wings); Cole Beaudoin, Barrie, OHL (Utah Mammoth); Braeden Cootes, Seattle, WHL (Vancouver Canucks); Caleb Desnoyers, Moncton, QMJHL (Utah Mammoth); Liam Greentree, Windsor, OHL (Los Angeles Kings); Michael Hage, Michigan, NCAA (Montreal Canadiens); Tij Iginla, Kelowna, WHL (Utah Mammoth); Jett Luchanko, Brantford, OHL (Philadelphia Flyers); Brady Martin, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL (Nashville Predators); Porter Martone, Michigan State, NCAA (Philadelphia Flyers); Gavin McKenna, Penn State, NCAA (2026 draft eligible); Michael Misa, San Jose Sharks; Jake O'Brien, Brantford, OHL (Seattle Kraken); Sam O'Reilly, London, OHL (Edmonton Oilers); Cole Reschny, North Dakota, NCAA (Calgary Flames)
