23 CHL players past and present to represent Canada at 2022 World Juniors

By Cory Wilkins December 13, 2021

Following a four-day selection camp, 23 Canadian Hockey League players past and present have been named to Canada’s National Junior Team for the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, to be held Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.

The 23 CHL players were selected by Alan Millar, director of player personnel, and James Boyd (Ottawa 67’s), the U20 lead for the Program of Excellence management group, with support from Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of national teams. Head coach Dave Cameron (Ottawa 67’s) and assistant coaches Michael Dyck (Vancouver Giants), Louis Robitaille (Gatineau Olympiques) and Dennis Williams (Everett Silvertips), as well as goaltending consultant Olivier Michaud (Drummondville Voltigeurs), also provided input.

Among the 23 players are three returnees who won a silver medal at the 2021 World Juniors – Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers), Kaiden Guhle (Edmonton Oil Kings) and Cole Perfetti (Saginaw Spirit 2020).

“We are excited to unveil the (23) players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship, as we believe this group will give us the best chance to win a gold medal on home ice,” said Millar. “We were impressed with the level of competition at camp, and we knew we were going to have to make difficult decisions when it came time to name a final roster. Our players and staff look forward to the opportunity to compete in front of Canadian fans again, and we know this team will embrace the opportunity of wearing the Maple Leaf as we continue to build towards our goal of winning gold.”

Eight CHL players were released from selection camp and will rejoin their club teams: Zach Dean (Gatineau Olympiques), William Dufour (Saint John Sea Dogs), Luke Evangelista (London Knights), Jack Finley (Winnipeg ICE), Vincent Iorio (Brandon Wheat Kings), Joshua Roy (Sherbrooke Phoenix), and Hendrix Lapierre (Acadie-Bathurst Titan). Defenceman Daemon Hunt (Moose Jaw Warriors) is unable to participate in the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship due to injury.

Canada’s National Junior Team will head to Banff, Alta., for a training camp at the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre, Dec. 14-19. It will then travel to Red Deer for a pair of pre-tournament games on Dec. 19 and 20 against Switzerland and Sweden, respectively, before moving to Edmonton for its final pre-tournament match-up on Dec. 22 against Russia.

The 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Boxing Day with Canada kicking off its tournament against the Czech Republic. In addition to its opening-night match-up, Canada will also play Austria on Dec. 28, Germany on Dec. 29 and Finland on Dec. 31 to wrap up preliminary-round action. All Team Canada games will be played at 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will carry extensive game coverage and analysis throughout the World Juniors. TSN will broadcast all 31 tournament games and five pre-tournament games, while RDS will broadcast all 31 tournament games and three pre-tournament games. TSN Radio will also provide comprehensive coverage.

For more information from the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit the official tournament website at 2022.worldjuniors.hockey.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #OurGameIsBack.