31 CHL-Developed Players on Canada's 2026 WJSS Roster
Published on July 24, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release
TORONTO, ON - The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to announce that 31 players developed across the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) have been named to Canada's roster for the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase, taking place July 26-August 1 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario.
CHL-developed players account for 31 of the 32 players set to participate, including all four goaltenders, all 10 defencemen and 17 of the 18 forwards on Canada's roster. The group includes 12 players developed in the WHL, 11 in the OHL and eight in the QMJHL. Of the 31 CHL-developed players, 27 competed in the CHL during the 2025-26 season.
In total, 22 CHL clubs are represented. The Victoria Royals (WHL) and Guelph Storm (OHL) each account for a group-leading three players, while the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL), Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL), Everett Silvertips (WHL), Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) and Windsor Spitfires (OHL) each account for two.
"We're excited to announce the 32 players who will attend the World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor as we begin our preparation for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship," said Alan Millar, general manager of Canada's National Junior Team. "This is an important opportunity for our staff to evaluate a talented group of players against top international competition while continuing to build our identity as a team. We're looking forward to seeing this group compete and bringing this showcase to Windsor in front of passionate Canadian hockey fans."
Five invitees helped their clubs capture championships across the CHL last season. Cameron Reid won both the OHL Championship and the 2026 Memorial Cup with the Kitchener Rangers, while Brek Liske and Shea Busch helped the Everett Silvertips claim the WHL Championship. Lucas Beckman and Alex Huang were members of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens' QMJHL Championship team. Additionally, Caleb Desnoyers helped the Moncton Wildcats capture the QMJHL title in 2025.
The roster includes eight players eligible to return from Canada's bronze-medal team at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship: Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars / WHL), Braeden Cootes (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL), Desnoyers, Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads / OHL), Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds / OHL), Reid, Cole Reschny (Victoria Royals / WHL) and Keaton Verhoeff (Victoria Royals / WHL).
Seventeen CHL-developed invitees have also won gold with Canada at the IIHF U18 Men's World Championship: Carels, Cootes, Ethan Czata (Guelph Storm /OHL), Desnoyers, Tyler Hopkins (Guelph Storm / OHL), Huang, Ivankovic, Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants / WHL), Martin, Jack Nesbitt (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Reschny, Ryan Roobroeck (Guelph Storm / OHL), Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL), Cameron Schmidt (Victoria Royals / WHL), Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans / WHL), Verhoeff and Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL).
Among the 31 CHL-developed players, 28 have been selected in the NHL Draft, including 13 first-round picks. Six were chosen in the opening round of the 2026 NHL Draft: Caleb Malhotra (third overall, Vancouver Canucks), Rudolph (fourth, Buffalo Sabres), Carels (sixth, Calgary Flames), Verhoeff (ninth, San Jose Sharks), Ethan Belchetz (17th, Utah Mammoth) and Lin (21st, San Jose Sharks).
Six current CHL personnel will serve on Canada's management, coaching and support staff:
Assistant general manager Dave Brown (Erie Otters / OHL)
Assistant coach Brad Lauer (Spokane Chiefs / WHL)
Assistant coach Drew Bannister (Soo Greyhounds / OHL)
Assistant coach Jim Hulton (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL)
Goaltending coach Dan De Palma (Kamloops Blazers / WHL)
Athletic therapist Mike Burnstein (Vancouver Giants / WHL)
They will work alongside head coach and former OHL executive Misha Donskov.
Canada will practice July 27 and 28 before facing Sweden on July 29, Finland on July 30 and the United States on August 1. The showcase represents an important evaluation step ahead of the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, set for December 26, 2026-January 5, 2027, in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
Every game at the World Junior Summer Showcase will be livestreamed at HNLive.ca with a subscription. Tickets are available at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada's National Junior Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.
31 CHL-DEVELOPED PLAYERS NAMED TO CANADA'S WORLD JUNIOR SUMMER SHOWCASE ROSTER
Goaltenders (4)
Lucas Beckman (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL)
Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads / OHL; University of Michigan / NCAA)
William Lacelle (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL)
Samuel Meloche (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL)
Defencemen (10)
Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars / WHL)
Alex Huang (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL)
Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants / WHL)
Brek Liske (Everett Silvertips / WHL)
Charlie Morrison (Québec Remparts / QMJHL)
Cameron Reid (Kitchener Rangers / OHL)
Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL)
Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans / WHL; Penn State University / NCAA)
Keaton Verhoeff (Victoria Royals / WHL; University of North Dakota / NCAA)
Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL)
Forwards (17)
Ethan Belchetz (Windsor Spitfires / OHL) Shea Busch (Everett Silvertips / WHL)
Braeden Cootes (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL)
Ethan Czata (Guelph Storm / OHL)
Caleb Desnoyers (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL)
Chase Harrington (Spokane Chiefs / WHL) Tyler Hopkins (Guelph Storm / OHL)
Tommy Lafrenière (Kamloops Blazers / WHL)
Jimmy Lombardi (Flint Firebirds / OHL)
Caleb Malhotra (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL) Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds / OHL)
Jack Nesbitt (Windsor Spitfires / OHL)
Cole Reschny (Victoria Royals / WHL; University of North Dakota / NCAA)
Ryan Roobroeck (Guelph Storm / OHL)
Cameron Schmidt (Victoria Royals / WHL) Philippe Veilleux (Val-d'Or Foreurs / QMJHL)
Dima Zhikin (Saginaw Spirit / OHL)
Jake O'Brien (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL) was also invited but is unable to attend. Landon DuPont (Everett Silvertips / WHL) was invited to the showcase but will instead represent Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Team at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
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