18 WHL players invited to Canada’s 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League will be represented by 18 players on the roster for Canada at the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase, scheduled for July 27 to August 2 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn.
Hockey Canada announced the 44-player showcase roster – including four goaltenders, 12 defencemen, and 20 forwards – Sunday morning.
Players competing for Canada at the 2025 World Juniors Summer Showcase will be vying for an opportunity to represent their country at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, set for December 26 to January 5, in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.
Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase
| Last Name | First Name | Team | Hometown | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| Gardner | Evan | Saskatoon Blades | Fort St. John, B.C. | 6’0” | 175 | G |
| Ravensbergen | Joshua | Prince George Cougars | North Vancouver, B.C. | 6’4” | 180 | G |
| Brunicke | Harrison | Kamloops Blazers | Calgary, Alta. | 6’3” | 196 | D |
| Elick | Charlie | Tri-City Americans | Calgary, Alta. | 6’3” | 202 | D |
| Smith | Tarin | Everett Silvertips | Porcupine Plain, Sask. | 6’1” | 188 | D |
| Catton | Berkly | Spokane Chiefs | Saskatoon, Sask. | 5’10” | 175 | F |
| Cootes | Braeden | Seattle Thunderbirds | Sherwood Park, Alta. | 6’0” | 183 | F |
| Josephson | Ollie | Red Deer Rebels | Victoria, B.C. | 6’1” | 190 | F |
| Kindel | Ben | Calgary Hitmen | Coquitlam, B.C. | 5’11” | 181 | F |
| Lindstrom | Cayden | Medicine Hat Tigers | Chetwynd, B.C. | 6’3” | 213 | F |
| McKenna | Gavin | Medicine Hat Tigers | Whitehorse, Yukon | 5’11” | 162 | F |
| Parascak | Terik | Prince George Cougars | Lethbridge, Alta. | 6’0” | 181 | F |
| Reschny | Cole | Victoria Royals | Macklin, Sask. | 5’11” | 183 | F |
| Ritchie | Ryder | Medicine Hat Tigers | Kelowna, B.C. | 6’0” | 177 | F |
| Wetsch | Carson | Kelowna Rockets | North Vancouver, B.C. | 6’1” | 200 | F |
Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase – Invited, Unable to Participate
| Last Name | First Name | Team | Hometown | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| Bear | Carter | Everett Silvertips | West St. Paul, Man. | 6’0” | 179 | F |
| Iginla | Tij | Kelowna Rockets | Lake Country, B.C. | 6’0” | 191 | F |
| McQueen | Roger | Brandon Wheat Kings | Saskatoon, Sask. | 6’5” | 197 | F |
The 44 players invited to Canada’s World Junior Summer Showcase will participate in practices, scrimmages, and a trio of exhibition games against Finland, Sweden, and the United States this week.
Among the 18 WHL players in attendance is Berkly Catton, who returns from Canada’s 2025 National Junior Team after being named WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player and guiding the Spokane Chiefs to an appearance in the 2025 WHL Championship Series.
Joining Catton as a returning player is Gavin McKenna, who finished the 2024-25 WHL season by being named WHL Player of the Year and guiding the Medicine Hat Tigers to a WHL Championship.
The WHL contingent representing Canada includes a strong group of 10 first-round NHL Draft selections, including Ravensbergen (San Jose Sharks, 1-30, 2025), Catton (Seattle Kraken, 1-8, 2024), Cootes (Vancouver Canucks, 1-15, 2025), Kindel (Pittsburgh Penguins, 1-11, 2025), Lindstrom (Columbus Blue Jackets, 1-4, 2024), Parascak (Washington Capitals, 1-17, 2024), Reschny (Calgary Flames, 1-18, 2025), Bear (Detroit Red Wings, 1-13, 2025), Iginla (Utah Mammoth, 1-6, 2024), and McQueen (Anaheim Ducks, 1-10, 2025).
A total of 13 WHL Clubs will have players representing Canada at the 2025 World Juniors Summer Showcase, led by the Medicine Hat Tigers with three. The Prince George Cougars will have two players in attendance. Both the Everett Silvertips and Kelowna Rockets had two players each invited, though Bear and Iginla are unable to participate.
Nine WHL players in attendance have previously won gold with Canada at the IIHF U18 World Championship (Brunicke, Cootes, Iginla, Josephson, McKenna, McQueen, Reschny, Ritchie, Wetsch).
The player selection process was led by Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont.), General Manager of the Program of Excellence, alongside Program of Excellence head Scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, Alta.) and Mark Hunter (Petrolia, Ont. / London Knights, OHL), U20 lead with the POE management group. Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), Hockey Canada’s Senior Vice-President, High Performance and Hockey Operations, and Benoit Roy (Sudbury, Ont.), Director of Hockey Operations, also provided input.
“We’re thrilled to bring together 36 of the top young players from across Canada for the Summer Showcase,” Millar said. “This is an incredible opportunity for these players to compete at the highest level, build chemistry, and show what they can bring to the national team. With the 2026 World Juniors on the horizon, this is a crucial step in building a championship-calibre group.”
The players will be split into two teams – Red and White – for practices and an intrasquad game on July 29, before facing Finland on July 30, Sweden on August 1, and the United States on August 2.
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
