Esler, Preston among eleven WHL players named to roster for Canada’s National Men’s Summer U18 Team for Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Calgary, Alta. – Spokane Chiefs goaltender Carter Esler and forward Mathis Preston are among 11 Western Hockey League players that will represent Canada on the National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Brno, Czechia, and Trencin, Slovakia, from August 11-16.
Hockey Canada unveiled the 25-player roster, including three goaltenders, eight defencemen, and 14 forwards, Friday afternoon.
Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team – WHL Players
| Last Name | First Name | Team | Hometown | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| Esler | Carter | Spokane Chiefs | Okotoks, Alta. | 5’10” | 157 | G |
| Carels | Carson | Prince George Cougars | Cypress River, Man. | 6’1” | 189 | D |
| DuPont | Landon | Everett Silvertips | Calgary, Alta. | 5’11” | 180 | D |
| Lin | Ryan | Vancouver Giants | Richmond, B.C. | 5’11” | 170 | D |
| Pantelas | Giorgos | Brandon Wheat Kings | Victoria, B.C. | 6’2” | 196 | D |
| Rudolph | Daxon | Prince Albert Raiders | Lacombe, Alta. | 6’2” | 196 | D |
| Verhoeff | Keaton | Victoria Royals | Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. | 6’4” | 207 | D |
| Preston | Mathis | Spokane Chiefs | Penticton, B.C. | 5’11” | 167 | F |
| Ruck | Liam | Medicine Hat Tigers | Osoyoos, B.C. | 6’0” | 172 | F |
| Ruck | Markus | Medicine Hat Tigers | Osoyoos, B.C. | 5’11” | 165 | F |
| Williams | Cooper | Saskatoon Blades | Calgary, Alta. | 6’0” | 155 | F |
Leading the WHL contingent on Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team are a pair of former first overall picks from the WHL Prospects Draft – 2023’s top selection, Daxon Rudolph of the Prince Albert Raiders, joins reining WHL Rookie of the Year and 2024’s top selection, Landon DuPont of the Everett Silvertips.
DuPont, who hails from Calgary, Alta., led all WHL rookies in scoring during the 2024-25 campaign, registering 60 points (17G-43A) in 64 games.
The 17-year-old Rudolph, who hails from Lacombe, Alta., helped the Prince Albert Raiders claim the East Division title in 2024-25, recording 41 points (7G-34A) in 64 games to lead all Raiders rookies.
The reining WHL Champion Medicine Hat Tigers will be represented by a pair of players as twin brothers Liam and Markus Ruck will bring their championship experience to Canada’s roster.
Liam led all WHL rookies in goals during the 2024-25 season, representing the only rookie to reach the 25-goal plateau during the campaign. In 61 outings, he collected 41 points (25G-16A).
Markus enjoyed a quality season of his own, recording 29 points (8G-21A) in 62 games.
The Spokane Chiefs will see two members of the Club’s 2025 Western Conference Championship team represent Canada, including forward Mathis Preston and goaltender Carter Esler.
Preston, who hails from Penticton, B.C., enjoyed an impressive campaign, notching 45 points (23G-22A) in 54 regular season games, while Esler served capably in a backup role, going 10-6-1-0 in 18 regular season appearances between the pipes.
Canada’s blueline will be buoyed by six WHL defencemen. Joining Rudolph and DuPont are Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars), Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants), Giorgos Pantelas (Brandon Wheat Kings), and Keaton Verhoeff (Victoria Royals).
The 17-year-old Carels was a force on the Cougars backend, tallying 35 points (6G-29A) in 60 games.
Only two WHL rookie defencemen surpassed the 50-point plateau in 2024-25 – DuPont and Lin. For Lin, the 17-year-old product of Richmond, B.C., tallied 53 points (5G-48A) in 60 games.
The 17-year-old Pantelas was a steady presence on the backend in Brandon, securing 10 points (4G-6A) in 61 games, along with a plus-11 rating.
Saskatoon Blades forward Cooper Williams, 17, led all WHL rookie forwards in scoring with 57 points (21G-36A) in 68 games, joins Canada’s forward corps.
Victoria Royals defenceman Keaton Verhoeff, 17, rounds out the WHL representation on the roster, having scored 45 points (21G-24A) in 63 games this past season.
Four WHL players won gold with Canada at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, including Carels, Lin, Rudolph, and Verhoeff.
Seven WHL players won gold with Canada White at the 2024 U17 World Challenge, including Lin, Pantelas, Preston, the Ruck brothers, Rudolph, and Verhoeff.
Three WHL players earned silver with Canada Red at the 2024 U17 World Challenge, including Carels, DuPont, and Esler.
The roster was selected by Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont.), General Manager of the Program of Excellence, with support from Yanick Lemay (Drummondville, Que.), the U18 lead with the POE Management Group, Head Scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, Alta.), Benoit Roy (Sudbury, Ont.), Director of Hockey Operations, and Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), Senior Vice-President of High Performance and Hockey Operations.
“We are excited to unveil the 25 players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as we believe this is an elite group that brings international experience and a determination to continue our success at the tournament,” Millar said. “Our selection camp was highly competitive and provided an opportunity for our players to showcase themselves against the top talent in the country, and we believe we have assembled a roster that will compete for gold and wear the Maple Leaf with pride in Czechia and Slovakia.”
Canada will open the preliminary round of the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Finland on August 11 at 9:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. MT. Canada will also take on Switzerland and Czechia on August 12 and 13, respectively, before the tournament concludes with the medal games on August 16.
Prior to the start of the tournament, Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team will play pre-tournament games in Budapest against Hungary’s national under-20 team on August 7 and Piestany against Slovakia on August 9.
TSN and RDS will broadcast select tournament games, including all Team Canada games. Please check local listings for more details.
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.
