Sixteen WHL players to participate in Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase
Calgary, Alta.- Sixteen Western Hockey League players have been invited to participate in Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase, Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.
The event serves as a tryout for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be held in Ottawa, Ont. from December 26, 2024- January 5, 2025.
WHL Players – National Men’s Program of Excellence Summer Showcase
| Name | Team | Hometown | Height | Weight | Position | NHL Draft |
| Carson Bjarnason | Brandon Wheat Kings | Carberry, Man. | 6’3 | 202 | G | PHI 2023 (2/51) |
| Scott Ratzlaff | Seattle Thunderbirds | Irma, Alta. | 6’1 | 175 | G | BUF 2023 (5/141) |
| Joshua Ravensbergen | Prince George Cougars | North Vancouver, B.C. | 6’4 | 180 | G | Eligible 2025 |
| Noah Chadwick | Lethbridge Hurricanes | Saskatoon, Sask. | 6’4 | 200 | D | TOR 2023 (6/185) |
| Tanner Molendyk | Saskatoon Blades | McBride, B.C. | 6’0 | 180 | D | NAS 2023 (1/24) |
| Sawyer Mynio | Seattle Thunderbirds | Kamloops, B.C. | 6’1 | 180 | D | VAN 2023 (3/89) |
| Caden Price | Kelowna Rockets | Saskatoon, Sask. | 6’1 | 180 | D | SEA 2023 (3/84) |
| Carter Sotheran | Portland Winterhawks | Sanford, Man. | 6’3 | 198 | D | PHI 2023 (5/135) |
| Carter Yakemchuk | Calgary Hitmen | Calgary, Alta. | 6’3 | 194 | D | OTT 2024 (1/7) |
| Berkly Catton | Spokane Chiefs | Saskatoon, Sask. | 5’10 | 170 | F | SEA 2024 (1/8) |
| Andrew Cristall | Kelowna Rockets | Burnaby, B.C. | 5’10 | 175 | F | WSH 2023 (2/40) |
| Riley Heidt | Prince George Cougars | Saskatoon, Sask. | 5’11 | 182 | F | MIN 2023 (2/64) |
| Tanner Howe | Regina Pats | Prince Albert, Sask. | 5’11 | 182 | F | PIT 2024 (2/46) |
| Tij Iginla | Kelowna Rockets | Lake Country, B.C. | 6’0 | 186 | F | UHC 2023 (1/6) |
| Cayden Lindstrom | Medicine Hat Tigers | Chetwynd, B.C. | 6’4 | 215 | F | CBJ 2024 (1/4) |
| Brayden Yager | Moose Jaw Warriors | Saskatoon, Sask. | 6’0 | 170 | F | PIT 2023 (1/14) |
The Western Hockey League contingent includes six first-round selections from the 2023 and 2024 NHL Entry Draft, including recent top-10 selections Cayden Lindstrom (CBJ, 1/4), Tij Iginla (UHC, 1/6), Carter Yakemchuk (OTT, 1/7) and Berkly Catton (SEA, 1/8).
2024 WHL Champion Brayden Yager and goaltender Scott Ratzlaff are the lone returnees from the Team Canada squad that bowed out in the quarterfinals at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Swe.
Saskatoon Blades standout Tanner Molendyk made Team Canada ahead of the event but was sidelined by a wrist injury sustained in a pre-tournament game against Switzerland.
The Kelowna Rockets lead the way with three invitees, while the Seattle Thunderbirds and Prince George Cougars will both send a pair of stars to the showcase.
Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase begins with training camp on July 28 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ont., before moving south of the border to Plymouth, Mich. for games running from August 1-3.
Coaching Staff Named for Canada’s National Junior Team
Five current WHL staff and alumni will help steer the National Junior Team this season.
Lethbridge Hurricanes General Manager Peter Anholt and ‘Canes legend Brent Seabrook make up Team Canada’s management staff and helped select the roster of players attending the showcase.
Portland Winterhawks Senior Vice-President, General Manager and Head Coach Mike Johnston joins the squad as an assistant coach after leading Portland to a third straight 40-plus win season and a WHL Championship appearance.
Another Winterhawk, Clayton Johns, has been named Team Canada’s equipment manager after a gold-medal run with Canada’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup team in 2023.
Former Calgary Hitmen great Justin Pogge will reprise his role as goaltending consultant.
The Penticton, B.C. netminder has previously worked as a goaltending coach and consultant for the 2023 IIHF World U18 Championship, the 2023 World Championship, the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2024 World Junior Championship.
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 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five 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.
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