Oaten Named to World U18 Championship Preliminary Roster
Published on April 13, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Lethbridge Hurricanes News Release
LETHBRIDGE, AB - The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club are proud to announce that Hockey Canada has named 2009-born goaltender Leif Oaten to the Preliminary Roster for the 2026 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.
Oaten, 16, was one of three goaltenders named to the preliminary roster by Hockey Canada. The Calgary, AB, product is one of 23 players named to the roster which includes nine players from the Western Hockey League. He previously represented Canada at the 2025 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge where he led Canada Red to a Gold medal finishing the tournament with a 3-0-1 record while collecting a 2.95 goals against average and a .905 save percentage. He was named a tournament all-star for Canada Red, posting 38-saves in the Gold medal game.
"We want to congratulate Leif on earning the opportunity to compete for a spot on Canada's U18 team, "said Hurricanes Interim General Manager Barclay Parneta. "Leif is a young goaltender with a very bright future ahead of him, and this selection is a testament to his work ethic, character, and performance both with our club and on the international stage."
The 6'3, 194-pound goaltender was originally drafted in the third-round (58th overall) in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft.
Oaten appeared in 31 regular season games with the Hurricanes posting a record of 6-19-2-0 with a 4.23 goals against average and a .876 save percentage with one shutout during the 2025-2026 season. He finished the campaign 10th among rookie netminders in the WHL in games played (31) and was the lone 16-year-old goaltender in the league. Oaten posted an impressive 2.87 GAA and a .909 SV% with one shutout while collecting a record of 6-4-0-0 in 10 home contests last season with the'Canes.
"Leif has represented his country and the Hurricanes with pride, and we are excited to watch him take this step. We wish him the very best through this process and look forward to him bringing that experience back to continue helping build and strengthen our program, "added Parneta.
Canada will look for their third-straight gold medal at the World U18 Championship having won the tournament in 2024 and 2025. Since it's inception in 1999, Canada has won the World U18 Championship on six occasions (2003, 2008, 2013, 2021, 2024 and 2025). The 2026 IIHF World Under-18 Championships will take place in Trencin and Bratislava, Slovakia beginning on Wednesday, April 22nd running through until Sunday, May 2nd.
Season Tickets for the 2025-2026 season, which will mark the Hurricanes 40th Anniversary season in Lethbridge, are now on sale with Loyalty Pricing available until July 2nd at 5:00pm. Premium Season Tickets are also available for an additional $250 per seat. Season Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Yates Memorial Theatre and VisitLethbridge.com Arena Ticket Centre, by calling 403-329-SEAT (7328) or online at www.visitlethbridgearena.ca.
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- Terik Parascak Named WHL Player of the Week - Prince George Cougars
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- Giants' Preston & Lin Named to Canada's U18 Pre-Tournament Roster - Vancouver Giants
- Nine WHL Players Named to Canada's Pre-Tournament Camp Roster for 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship - WHL
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