Captain Catton among twelve WHL players to attend Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp
Calgary, Alta. – Spokane Chiefs’ captain Berkly Catton is one of twelve WHL players that will attend Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp, scheduled for December 10-13, 2024, in Ottawa, Ont. Hockey Canada announced the 32-player camp roster Monday morning.
So far this season, Catton leads the Chiefs with 13 goals and 30 assists for 43 total points and is currently on a six-game point streak (4G-9A). The Saskatoon native was the eighth-overall selection by the Seattle Kraken in this year’s NHL Entry Draft.
The 12 players representing the WHL will vie for a place on Canada’s National Junior Team, which will compete at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, scheduled to be contested in Ottawa, Ont., from December 26, 2024, through January 5, 2025.
Ten WHL Clubs will feature at least one player at Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp, with the Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds both represented by two players each. The Brandon Wheat Kings, Calgary Hitmen, Kamloops Blazers, Medicine Hat Tigers, Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince George Cougars, Saskatoon Blades, and Spokane Chiefs will also be represented by one player each.
Three WHL players named to the selection camp roster return from Canada’s 2024 National Junior Team, intent on delivering Canada back to the podium in 2025 – goaltender Scott Ratzlaff (Irma, Alta. / Seattle Thunderbirds), defenceman Tanner Molendyk (McBride, B.C. / Saskatoon Blades), and forward Brayden Yager (Saskatoon, Sask. / Moose Jaw Warriors).
Two WHL players named to the selection camp helped Canada win gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship – Kamloops Blazers defenceman Harrison Brunicke and Medicine Hat Tigers star Gavin McKenna.
McKenna (Whitehorse, Yukon) headlines an intriguing list of WHL players aiming to represent Canada for the first time at the IIHF World Junior Championship. McKenna, who turns 17 on December 20, leads all Canadian Major Junior players in scoring, having registered 55 points (18G-37A) in 27 games this season.
Named WHL Rookie of the Year for 2023-24, McKenna helped lead Canada to a gold medal performance at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup this past summer in Edmonton. The highly touted playmaker was selected first overall by the Tigers in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft and is projected to be the first overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Canada’s National Junior Team Selection Camp
| Last Name | First Name | Team | Hometown | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| Bjarnason | Carson | Brandon Wheat Kings | Carberry, Man. | 6’3” | 202 | G |
| Ratzlaff | Scott | Seattle Thunderbirds | Irma, Alta. | 6’1” | 175 | G |
| Brunicke | Harrison | Kamloops Blazers | Calgary, Alta. | 6’3” | 191 | D |
| Molendyk | Tanner | Saskatoon Blades | McBride, B.C. | 6’0” | 181 | D |
| Mynio | Sawyer | Seattle Thunderbirds | Kamloops, B.C. | 6’1” | 180 | D |
| Price | Caden | Kelowna Rockets | Saskatoon, Sask. | 6’1” | 180 | D |
| Catton | Berkly | Spokane Chiefs | Saskatoon, Sask. | 5’10” | 170 | F |
| Cristall | Andrew | Kelowna Rockets | Burnaby, B.C. | 5’10” | 175 | F |
| Heidt | Riley | Prince George Cougars | Saskatoon, Sask. | 5’11” | 182 | F |
| Howe | Tanner | Calgary Hitmen | Prince Albert, Sask. | 5’11” | 182 | F |
| McKenna | Gavin | Medicine Hat Tigers | Whitehorse, Yukon | 6’0” | 183 | F |
| Yager | Brayden | Moose Jaw Warriors | Saskatoon, Sask. | 6’0” | 170 | F |
The selection camp roster announced by Hockey Canada includes four goaltenders, 10 defencemen, and 18 forwards.
The selection camp roster was identified by U20 head scout Al Murray (Regina, Sask.) and the management group, which includes Peter Anholt (Naicam, Sask. / Lethbridge Hurricanes) and WHL alumnus Brent Seabrook (Tsawwassen, B.C.), with support from Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, Benoit Roy (Sudbury, Ont.), director of hockey operations, and player development coach Scott Walker (Cambridge, Ont. / Guelph Storm, OHL). Head coach Dave Cameron (Kinkora, P.E.I. / Ottawa 67s, OHL), U17 head scott Byron Bonora (Brooks, Alta.) and goaltending consultant Dan De Palma (Kamloops, B.C. / Kamloops Blazers), as well as coaches and general managers from across the Canadian Hockey League also provided input.
“We are excited to announce the 32 players who have earned invitations to selections camp in Ottawa and begin the road to our ultimate goal of winning a World Junior Championship gold medal on home ice,” Murray said. “This is a talented group of young players that is determined to represent Canada with pride over the holidays, and we expect a highly competitive camp with several difficult decisions when determining our final roster.”
Canada’s National Junior Team also includes assistant coach Mike Johnston (Dartmouth, N.S. / Portland Winterhawks).
As part of National Junior Team Selection Camp, Canada will face-off against the U SPORTS All-Stars in a pair of games scheduled for December 12 and 13.
Following selection camp, Canada’s National Junior Team will travel to Petawawa, Ont., for a four-day training camp at Silver Dart Arena from December 15-18. Canada will also play pre-tournament games against Switzerland (December 19), Sweden (December 21), and Czechia (December 23).
“We are thrilled for the 32 players who have earned the opportunity to compete for a spot on Canada’s National Junior Team at the World Juniors, and we look forward to starting the final piece of our evaluation process at selection camp,” Anholt said. “We are also excited to bring our team to Ottawa and Petawawa, and to give fans an opportunity to see the best under-20 Canadian players take on a U SPORTS all-star team before the start of the tournament.”
The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship begins Thursday, December 26, when Canada takes on Finland to open the tournament.
Canada will compete in Group A, alongside Finland, Germany, the United States, and Latvia, while Group B features Czechia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Kazakhstan.
TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast every game of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. Check your local listings for channel listings.
For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit HockeyCanada.ca.
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 offers a world-class player experience featuring three key cornerstones: hockey development, education, and a safe and positive environment for all participants. A diverse and inclusive organization, the WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 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 close to 60 years. The WHL is also a 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.
