Eight OHL players highlight Canada’s roster for 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup

TORONTO — Eight Ontario Hockey League players have been named to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team for the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Hockey Canada announced Friday. The annual tournament takes place from August 3-8 in Edmonton, Alberta.

The 22-player roster, trimmed from a 27-player training camp group, includes two goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards. The OHL contingent spans seven member clubs:

Defencemen

• Matthew Henderson, Kingston Frontenacs
• Cooper McAslan, London Knights

Forwards

• Brock Chitaroni, Ottawa 67’s
• Ryerson Edgar, Niagara IceDogs
• Aleks Kulemin, Kingston Frontenacs
• Charlie Murata, Flint Firebirds
• Cam Warren, North Bay Battalion
• Jaakko Wycisk, Guelph Storm

North Bay Battalion head coach Ryan Oulahen leads the program behind the bench, while Windsor Spitfires equipment manager J.R. Grant and London Knights team physician Dr. Danielle Kelton round out the OHL presence on staff.

Canada closes out its pre-tournament schedule Saturday against Czechia at Rogers Place before opening the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup on Monday, Aug. 3, against Switzerland at 5 p.m. MT. The Canadians close out preliminary-round play against Slovakia (Aug. 4) and Sweden (Aug. 5) ahead of medal games Aug. 8 at Rogers Place and the Downtown Community Arena.

Canada is chasing a fourth gold medal in the past five years after winning in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and is looking to bounce back from a bronze-medal finish at last year’s tournament in Brno, Czechia, and Trenčín, Slovakia.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.