Hockey Canada has announced the 32 players selected to participate in the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase for Canada. The event, which serves as an initial evaluation for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, will take place from July 26 to August 1 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario.
Among the participants are Carson Carels and Keaton Verhoeff, both top-10 selections in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft. Carels, chosen by the Calgary Flames with the No. 6 pick, recorded one assist in five games at the 2026 WJC. He tied for fourth among Western Hockey League defencemen last season with 73 points, including 20 goals and 53 assists, in 58 games. Verhoeff, selected by the San Jose Sharks with the No. 9 pick, had four assists in five games at the 2026 WJC. He was fifth among freshmen defencemen at North Dakota last season with 20 points, comprising six goals and 14 assists, in 36 games.
Key Players and Draft Selections
Carels and Verhoeff are two of eight players from Canada’s 2026 WJC roster attending the camp. This group also includes goaltender Jack Ivankovic of the Nashville Predators, defenceman Cameron Reid, also of the Predators, and forwards Braeden Cootes of the Vancouver Canucks, Caleb Desnoyers of the Utah Mammoth, Brady Martin of the Predators, and Cole Reschny of the Flames.
Seven Canadian players drafted in the first round of the 2026 draft are slated to attend. In addition to Carels and Verhoeff, this group features forwards Caleb Malhotra of the Canucks, selected at No. 3, Tynan Lawrence of the St. Louis Blues at No. 11, and Ethan Belchetz of the Mammoth at No. 17. Defencemen Daxon Rudolph of the Buffalo Sabres, chosen at No. 4, and Ryan Lin of the Sharks, selected at No. 21, will also be present.
Forward Dimian Zhilkin, a projected first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, is also participating. The 17-year-old right wing accumulated 75 points, with 36 goals and 39 assists, in 59 games last season for Saginaw in the Ontario Hockey League.
Guelph Storm Representation and Tournament Details
Three players from the Guelph Storm have been named to the roster: Tyler Hopkins, Ethan Czata, and Ryan Roobroeck. The Storm, along with the WHL’s Victoria Royals, lead CHL teams with three players each on the roster. Hopkins, a 2025 third-round pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs, was traded to Guelph from Kingston on December 28. He recorded 13 goals and 25 points in 27 games after the trade. Czata, a Tampa Bay prospect, had 53 points in 63 games as captain of the Niagara IceDogs last season before being dealt to Guelph on June 2. Roobroeck, drafted in the second round of the 2026 NHL Draft by Chicago, scored 30 goals and 58 points in 49 games with the IceDogs last year before his trade to Guelph on June 19.
Alan Millar, general manager of Canada’s national junior team, stated that the showcase provides an important opportunity for staff to evaluate players against international competition and build team identity. The camp will include practices and games involving players from Canada, the United States, Finland, and Sweden. The U.S. and Sweden, the 2026 WJC champions, have already announced their rosters for the summer showcase.
The 2027 WJC is scheduled to be held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, from December 26, 2026, to January 5, 2027. Canada will compete in Group A alongside Czechia, Latvia, Norway, and Switzerland, with preliminary-round games at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
Source: nhl.com
