CHL well represented at 2017 World Junior Summer Showcase
As July transitions into August, 57 CHL players are headed to Plymouth, Michigan to represent their country at the 2017 World Junior Summer Showcase, a testing ground for the 2018 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in December.
A total of 40 CHL players are representing Canada in the six team showcase that includes two squads from both Canada and the United States as well as Scandinavian rivals in Finland and Sweden.
Canada’s roster features seven returning players who won silver this past January in Montreal including goaltender Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips), defencemen Jake Bean (Calgary Hitmen) and Kale Clague (Brandon Wheat Kings) and forwards Dillon Dube (Kelowna Rockets), Pierre-Luc Dubois (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada), Michael McLeod (Mississauga Steelheads), and Taylor Raddysh (Erie Otters).
The event serves as an audition for players seeking to represent their country at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Buffalo, New York from December 26, 2017 to January 5, 2018.
While game action gets underway on Saturday between the United States, Finland and Sweden, Canada’s schedule doesn’t get started until Tuesday following practices on Sunday and Monday at USA Hockey Arena.
Of the 57 CHL players participating, 32 are from the Ontario Hockey League, 23 are from the Western Hockey League and two are from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
In total, 116 of the 144 players set to take part in the week-long showcase have been drafted or signed by an NHL club, including 65 who were first or second round selections.
The final three days of the showcase will be televised on TSN and NHL Network beginning on Wed., Aug. 2, with Canada-Finland at 1 p.m. ET and USA-Sweden at 4 p.m., while on Fri., Aug. 4, fans will see Sweden vs. Canada at 1 p.m. and Finland vs. USA at 4 p.m. TSN and NHL Network’s coverage concludes with two of the biggest rivalry games in the sport on Sat., Aug. 5, with Sweden facing Finland at 4 p.m., and USA taking on Canada at 7 p.m.
In addition, HockeyTV will provide live streaming coverage of the first three days of competition – six games total – including a pair of U.S.-Canada split-squad matchups on Tues., Aug. 1.
For the full 2017 World Junior Summer Showcase schedule, click here.
CANADA
Goaltenders:
Michael DiPietro (Windsor Spitfires) [VAN]
Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips) [PHI]^
Stuart Skinner (Lethbridge Hurricanes) [EDM]
Dylan Wells (Peterborough Petes) [EDM]
Defencemen:
Jake Bean (Calgary Hitmen) [CAR]^
Kale Clague (Brandon Wheat Kings) [LA]^
Cal Foote (Kelowna Rockets) [TB]
Samuel Girard (Shawinigan Cataractes) [NSH]
Nicolas Hague (Mississauga Steelheads) [VGK]
Josh Mahura (Regina Pats) [ANA]
Victor Mete (London Knights) [MTL]
David Quenneville (Medicine Hat Tigers) [NYI]
Conor Timmins (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) [COL]
Logan Stanley (Windsor Spitfires) [WPG]
Forwards:
Jonathan Ang (Peterborough Petes) [FLA]
Tyler Benson (Vancouver Giants) [EDM]
Will Bitten (Hamilton Bulldogs) [MTL]
Dillon Dube (Kelowna Rockets) [CGY]^
Pierre-Luc Dubois (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada) [CBJ]^
Jonah Gadjovich (Owen Sound Attack) [VAN]
Cody Glass (Portland Winterhawks) [VGK]
Brett Howden (Moose Jaw Warriors) [TB]
Tanner Kaspick (Brandon Wheat Kings) [STL]
Boris Katchouk (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds [TB]
Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia Sting) [STL]
Kole Lind (Kelowna Rockets) [VAN]
Adam Mascherin (Kitchener Rangers) [FLA]
Michael McLeod (Mississauga Steelheads) [NJ]^
Nolan Patrick (Brandon Wheat Kings) [PHI]
Matthew Phillips (Victoria Royals) [CGY]
Cliff Pu (London Knights) [BUF]
Taylor Raddysh (Erie Otters) [TB]^
Michael Rasmussen (Tri-City Americans) [DET]
Mason Shaw (Medicine Hat Tigers) [MIN]
Givani Smith (Guelph Storm) [DET]
Sam Steel (Regina Pats) [ANA]
Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound Attack) [VGK]
Robert Thomas (London Knights) [STL]
Owen Tippett (Mississauga Steelheads) [FLA]
Gabriel Vilardi (Windsor Spitfires) [LA]
^won silver with Canada at the 2017 World Juniors
FINLAND
Defencemen:
Henri Jokiharju (Portland Winterhawks) [CHI]
Markus Niemelainen (Saginaw Spirit) [EDM]
Eemeli Rasanen (Kingston Frontenacs) [TOR]
Juuso Valimaki (Tri-City Americans) [CGY]^
Forwards:
Janne Kuokkanen (London Knights) [CAR]^
Otto Makinen (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Sami Moilanen (Seattle Thunderbirds)
^placed 9th with Finland at 2017 World Juniors
SWEDEN
Defencemen:
Jacob Moverare (Mississauga Steelheads) [LA]
USA BLUE
Defencemen:
Sean Day (Windsor Spitfires) [NYR]
Forwards:
Kieffer Bellows (Portland Winterhawks) [NYI]*^
Sasha Chmelevski (Ottawa 67’s) [SJ]
Tim Gettinger (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) [NYR]
Jason Robertson (Kingston Frontenacs) [DAL]
*committed to CHL for 2017-18 season
^won gold with the United States at 2017 World Juniors
USA WHITE
Forwards:
Logan Brown (Windsor Spitfires) [OTT]
Max Jones (London Knights) [ANA]
Ivan Lodnia (Erie Otters) [MIN]
Kailer Yamamoto (Spokane Chiefs) [EDM]
For more information on the 2017 World Junior Summer Showcase, please visit usahockeyarena.com.