21 CHL Players Named to Canada’s National Under-18 Team
Calgary, Alta. – Hockey Canada has named 21 Canadian Hockey League players to Team Canada’s roster for the upcoming 2019 IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship scheduled for April 18-28 in Örnsköldsvik and Umeå, Sweden.
The roster includes a total of nine players from the Western Hockey League, seven from the Ontario Hockey League and five from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Several of the CHL’s top-ranked players included in Monday’s NHL Central Scouting Final Draft Rankings are included on the roster. Fifth-ranked skater Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes) leads the pack followed by 10th-ranked Peyton Krebs (Winnipeg ICE), 11th-ranked Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads) and 14th-ranked Philip Tomasino (Niagara IceDogs).
Of the 21 CHL players on the roster, 11 won gold with Canada at last summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.
Canada was perfect in pre-tournament play, defeating Belarus by a score of 6-5 in overtime on Saturday, following that up with a 5-4 win over Russia on Sunday.
Canada will look to claim gold for the first time since 2013 when it kicks off its tournament schedule against Finland on Thursday, April 18 at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT. Canada will also match up against Switzerland, Belarus and the Czech Republic in the preliminary round before the tournament wraps up with the bronze and gold medal games on Sunday, April 28.
TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast 15 games, including all of Team Canada’s match-ups at the IIHF U18 World Championship, all quarter-finals, both semifinals and the bronze and gold medal games.
Canada has won seven medals at the IIHF U18 World Championship, including three gold (2003, 2008, 2013), one silver (2005) and three bronze (2012, 2014, 2015).
21 CHL PLAYERS NAMED TO CANADA’S NATIONAL UNDER-18 TEAM:
Goaltenders:
Taylor Gauthier (Prince George Cougars)
Jonathan Lemieux (Val-d’Or Foreurs)
Nolan Maier (Saskatoon Blades)
Defencemen:
Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters)
Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads)
Daemon Hunt (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets)
Braden Schneider (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Jordan Spence (Moncton Wildcats)
Michael Vukojevic (Kitchener Rangers)
Forwards:
Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Peyton Krebs (Winnipeg ICE)
Nathan Légaré (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
Jakob Pelletier (Moncton Wildcats)
Samuel Poulin (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
Jamieson Rees (Sarnia Sting)
Ryan Suzuki (Barrie Colts)
Philip Tomasino (Niagara IceDogs)
Brayden Tracey (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Keean Washkurak (Mississauga Steelheads)
Connor Zary (Kamloops Blazers)
For more information on Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitterand Twitter.com/HC_Men.