Hockey Canada Names Six WHL Players to Roster for 2020 World Junior Championship
December 13, 2019 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release
Calgary, Alta. - The Western Hockey League will be represented by six players at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ostrava and Trinec, Czech Republic after Hockey Canada unveiled its roster for the tournament Thursday evening.
WHL players set to don the Maple Leaf as members of Team Canada include goaltender Joel Hofer (Winnipeg, Man. / Portland Winterhawks), defencemen Calen Addison (Brandon, Man. / Lethbridge Hurricanes), Bowen Byram (Cranbrook, B.C. / Vancouver Giants), and Ty Smith (Lloydminster, Alta. / Spokane Chiefs), as well as forwards Dylan Cozens (Whitehorse, Yukon / Lethbridge Hurricanes) and Nolan Foote (Kelowna, B.C. / Kelowna Rockets).
Of the six WHL players, Smith is the lone returning member of Canada's National Junior Team, having competed at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C. Byram and Cozens captured gold together at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Saskatoon Blades head coach Mitch Love will serve as an assistant coach with Hockey Canada during the event.
"As with every year, there are difficult decisions to trim down our roster, but ultimately we believe this group will give us our best shot at a gold medal," said Shawn Bullock, director of men's national teams with Hockey Canada. "We are excited about working with these players in the Czech Republic, and we are looking forward to an exciting World Juniors."
Canada's final 22-player roster does not need to be officially submitted to the International Ice Hockey Federation until Dec. 25.
The puck will officially drop on Boxing Day when Canada takes on the United States at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, followed by games against Russia, Germany and the Czech Republic to round out preliminary action.
TSN and RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, will once again provide wall-to-wall game coverage and analysis throughout the tournament, including Canada's two pre-tournament games against Switzerland on Dec. 19 and Finland on Dec. 23; check local listings for details.
For more information on Canada's National Junior Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and #WorldJuniors.
Western Hockey League Stories from December 13, 2019
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- Addison, Cozens Named to Canadian 2020 World Junior Roster - Lethbridge Hurricanes
- Hockey Canada Names Six WHL Players to Roster for 2020 World Junior Championship - WHL
- Kelowna Rockets captain Nolan Foote selected to move forward with Canada's National Junior Team - Kelowna Rockets
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