Eight OHL players named to Canada’s preliminary roster ahead of 2026 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship

Team Canada has announced its preliminary roster for the 2026 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, which includes eight OHL players. The tournament will take place in Bratislava and Trenčín, Slovakia, from April 22 to May 2. Additional roster selections will be announced in the coming weeks following the completion of the second round of CHL playoffs, with the final roster confirmed before the tournament begins.

Canada will look to defend the gold medal for the second consecutive year, after a dominant 7-0 victory over Sweden last tournament.

 

EIGHT OHL PLAYERS NAMED TO CANADA’S NATIONAL MEN’S U18 TEAM PRELIMINARY ROSTER:

Goaltenders:

Gavin Betts (Kingston Frontenacs)

 

Defencemen:

Lucas Ambrosio (Erie Otters)

Carter Hicks (Brampton Steelheads)

Caleb Mitchell (London Knights)

 

Forwards:

Alessandro Di Iorio (Sarnia Sting)

Jean-Cristoph Lemieux (Sudbury Wolves)

Jaakko Wycisk (Guelph Storm)

Dima Zhilkin (Saginaw Spirit)

 

The 2026 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship kicks off on April 22, with Canada taking on Slovakia, Latvia, Norway and Finland in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 2. TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 16 tournament games, including all Team Canada preliminary-round games, as well as the quarterfinals, semifinals, and medal games.

 

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For more information on the 2026 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, please visit the official tournament website at IIHF.com. For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, and Instagram.