CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has unveiled the 32 players that have been invited to the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase, set for July 26-Aug. 1 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario.
Four goaltenders, 10 defencemen and 18 forwards will take part in practices, scrimmages and a trio of exhibition games against Finland, Sweden and the United States in preparation for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta .
The camp roster features eight players who are eligible to return from Canada’s 2026 National Junior Team (Carels, Cootes, Desnoyers, Ivankovic, Martin, Reid, Reschny, Verhoeff) and 17 players who have won gold at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship (Carels, Cootes, Czata, Desnoyers, Hopkins, Huang, Ivankovic, Lin, Martin, Nesbitt, Reschny, Roobroeck, Rudolph, Schmidt, Smith, Verhoeff, Villeneuve) . Landon DuPont (Calgary, AB/Everett, WHL)was invited to participate in the World Junior Summer Showcase but will play for Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Team at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup instead.
The player selection process was led by Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), general manager of the National Junior Team, alongside Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB), Program of Excellence (POE) head scout, and Dave Brown (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON/Erie, OHL), assistant general manager of the National Junior Team. Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), Hockey Canada’s senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON) ,director of hockey operations, also provided input.
"We're excited to announce the 32 players who will attend the World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor as we begin our preparation for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship,” said Millar. “This is an important opportunity for our staff to evaluate a talented group of players against top international competition while continuing to build our identity as a team. We're looking forward to seeing this group compete and bringing this showcase to Windsor in front of passionate Canadian hockey fans."
The team will practice July 27 and 28 before taking on Sweden on July 29, Finland on July 30 and the United States on Aug. 1. Every game at the World Junior Summer Showcase will be livestreamed at HNLive.ca (subscription required). Tickets for the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase are on sale now starting at $18 plus applicable fees. Full event packages and team-specific ticket packages can also be purchased. Visit HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets for more information.
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook , X, Instagram and TikTok.