2026 World Junior Championship: Projecting Canada’s Roster
Canada will once again pursue gold at the 2026 World Junior Championship in Minnesota, though some roster choices still hang in the balance.
So far, 13 under-20 NHL players have competed in at least one NHL game. Except for Russia’s Matvei Gridin, every one of them represents Canada. Several young prospects have already been loaned back to their junior teams, including Nashville’s Brady Martin, Philadelphia’s Jett Luchanko, and Vancouver’s Braeden Cootes. That still leaves nine Canadian players active in the NHL.
- Beckett Sennecke – Anaheim Ducks
- Zayne Parekh – Calgary Flames
- Matthew Schaefer – New York Islanders
- Ben Kindel – Pittsburgh Penguins
- Harrison Brunicke – Pittsburgh Penguins
- Sam Dickinson – San Jose Sharks
- Michael Misa – San Jose Sharks
- Macklin Celebrini – San Jose Sharks
“Macklin Celebrini was never going to be loaned back under any circumstance.”
Schaefer has emerged as one of the NHL’s most efficient young defenders, making it virtually impossible he’ll return to junior. Players more likely to be sent back include Parekh and Catton, with Kindel and Brunicke as potential returns as well. The rest appear set to remain in the NHL, which seems entirely justified given their strong performances.
Following two straight quarterfinal eliminations, Canada’s expectations remain sky-high—they won’t settle for anything less than gold this time. Instead of holding a traditional selection camp, Hockey Canada plans to conduct a 10-day training camp in Niagara with the finalized roster and play two tune-up games in Kitchener and London.
Author’s Summary
Canada’s youthful NHL talent pool gives it the depth and skill needed to contest for gold at the 2026 World Juniors, amid tough roster decisions and intense expectations.