Just two weeks shy of the start of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, Hockey Canada announced on Dec. 11 the 25 players who will look to capture gold in Edmonton, Alta.
Canada enters this year's tournament as the defending champion and will see six players returning from that squad, including 2020 second-overall selection, and Los Angeles Kings prospect, Quinton Byfield.
Adding to the pressure of going for back-to-back gold for the first time since the country won five straight in 2005 to 2009, the 2021 edition returns to Canadian soil as Edmonton will serve as the host. Red Deer, Alta., was originally scheduled to split hosting duties; however, because of the ongoing pandemic, the tournament will now be held in an NHL-style bubble in Edmonton.
2021 WJC: Tournament schedule
While the country enters with a world-best 18 gold medals, it did not win any the last time the tournament was held in its confines two years ago in 2019 (Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.).
Here's everything to know about who will represent Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Who is on Canada's 2021 World Juniors roster?
A total of 46 players were initially invited. Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach was added soon after to bring the number to 47 before word came down on Nov. 10 that defenseman Owen Power would not be released by the University of Michigan to attend selection camp.
In the end, 46 players touched down in Red Deer for Team Canada's camp, which was held from Nov. 16 to Dec. 13, comprising five goaltenders, 14 defensemen and 27 forwards.
After a long camp — which included a 14-day quarantine in their individual hotel rooms because of positive COVID-19 tests — the roster was whittled to 25 (three goalies, eight defensemen and 14 forwards) on Dec. 11.
Last year, Flames prospect Jakob Pelletier was expected to play for Canada but was injured before camp and earned his spot this year. Seven players who were cut from last year's camp will also now wear the Maple Leaf in Edmonton: Thomas Harley, Dylan Holloway, Peyton Krebs, Alex Newhook, Cole Perfetti, Braden Schneider and Connor Zary.
Kirby Dach was named to the team and given the captaincy, but suffered an injured hand in the team's exhibition game and is heading back to Chicago to be evaluated. He will miss the tournament. Final rosters were due on Christmas Eve but because of the restrictions imposed this year due to COVID-19, the Canadians could not bring in a player to replace him and will have 13 forwards on the roster moving forward.
2020 NHL Draft: Complete list of selections for Rounds 1-7
| No. | Name | Position | Hometown | Club team | NHL Draft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Kirby Dach | Forward | Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. | Blackhawks (NHL) | CHI (2019) |
| 9 | Connor Zary | Forward | Saskatoon, Sask. | Kamloops (WHL) | CGY (2020) |
| 10 | Dylan Holloway | Forward | Bragg Creek, Alta. | Wisconsin (Big Ten) | EDM (2020) |
| 11 | Cole Perfetti | Forward | Whitby, Ont. | Saginaw (OHL) | WPG (2020) |
| 12 | Jakob Pelletier | Forward | Quebec City, Que. | Val-d'Or (QMJHL) | CGY (2019) |
| 15 | Alex Newhook | Forward | St. John's, Nfld. | Boston College (HE) | COL (2019) |
| 16 | Ryan Suzuki | Forward | London, Ont. | Saginaw (OHL) | CAR (2019) |
| 17 | Connor McMichael | Forward | Ajax, Ont. | London (OHL) | WSH (2019) |
| 18 | Peyton Krebs | Forward | Okotoks, Alta. | Winnipeg (WHL) | VGK (2019) |
| 19 | Quinton Byfield | Forward | Newmarket, Ont. | Sudbury (OHL) | LAK (2020) |
| 20 | Dawson Mercer | Forward | Bay Roberts, Nfld. | Chicoutimi (QMJHL) | NJD (2020) |
| 22 | Dylan Cozens | Forward | Whitehorse, Yukon | Lethbridge (WHL) | BUF (2019) |
| 26 | Philip Tomasino | Forward | Mississauga, Ont. | Oshawa (OHL) | NSH (2019) |
| 29 | Jack Quinn | Forward | Cobden, Ont. | Ottawa (OHL) | BUF (2020) |
| 2 | Braden Schneider | Defense | Prince Albert, Sask. | Brandon (WHL) | NYR (2020) |
| 3 | Kaedan Korczak | Defense | Yorkton, Sask. | Kelowna (WHL) | VGK (2019) |
| 4 | Bowen Byram | Defense | Cranbrook, B.C. | Vancouver (WHL) | COL (2019) |
| 5 | Thomas Harley | Defense | Jamesville, N.Y. | Mississauga (OHL) | DAL (2019) |
| 6 | Jamie Drysdale | Defense | Toronto, Ont. | Erie (OHL) | ANA (2020) |
| 8 | Jordan Spence | Defense | Cornwall, P.E.I. | Moncton (QMJHL) | LAK (2019) |
| 21 | Kaiden Guhle | Defense | Sherwood Park, Alta. | Prince Albert (WHL) | MTL (2020) |
| 27 | Justin Barron | Defense | Halifax, N.S. | Halifax (QMJHL) | COL (2020) |
| 1 | Devon Levi | Goaltender | Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. | Northeastern (HE) | FLA (2020) |
| 30 | Taylor Gauthier | Goaltender | Calgary, Alta. | Prince George (WHL) | 2021 Draft |
| 31 | Dylan Garand | Goaltender | Victoria, B.C. | Kamloops (WHL) | NYR (2020) |
Who has been cut from the roster?
Dec. 8
On Tuesday, defensemen Matthew Robertson, Mason Millman and Daemon Hunt, and forwards Xavier Simoneau and Ridly Greig were released. The move came after a 14-day quarantine because of two players testing positive for COVID-19. Per Hockey Canada's senior vice president of national teams Scott Salmond, the decision to cut those players was strictly a health decision and not a hockey decision as they were "unfit to continue to play based on return-to-play protocols."
MORE: How has COVID-19 impacted the tournament?
Dec. 10
Seven players were released a day before the final cuts will be made, leaving 34 players in camp. Goalies Brett Brochu and Tristan Lennox, and forwards Adam Beckman, Tyson Foerster, Hendrix Lapierre, Cole Schwindt and Shane Wright were released. With two goalies being cut, the three remaining officially made the team and will be heading to Edmonton.
Who better to share the good news than their #1 fans?
— #WorldJuniors (@HC_WJC) December 10, 2020
Welcome to Team Canada, welcome to the #WorldJuniors Taylor Gauthier, Dylan Garand and Devon Levi. pic.twitter.com/M1g6DG3icM
Dec. 11
The final cuts were made on Friday as Canada prepared to enter the Edmonton bubble on Dec. 13. Forwards Mavrik Bourque, Graeme Clarke, Gage Goncalves, Seth Jarvis, Samuel Poulin and Jamieson Rees and defensemen Lukas Cormier, Ryan O'Rourke and Donovan Sebrango were released.
Who played on Canada's 2020 World Juniors team?
Six players return from 2020's gold-medal winning team: Quinton Byfield, Bowen Byram, Dylan Cozens, Jamie Drysdale, Connor McMichael and Dawson Mercer.
2020 GOLD: Canada bests Russia to win WJC
How many players are first-round draft picks?
Of the 25 players on the roster, only five were not selected in the first round, including defensemen Kaeden Korczak (Golden Knights second-round pick in 2019) and Jordan Spence (Kings fourth-round pick in 2019) and netminders Devon Levi (Panthers seventh-round pick in 2020), Dylan Garand (Rangers fourth-round pick in 2020) and Taylor Gauthier. All 14 forwards named were selected in the first round.
Here's a breakdown of the picks.
2019 draft: Kirby Dach (third, Blackhawks), Bowen Byram (fourth, Avalanche) Dylan Cozens (seventh, Sabres), Alex Newhook (16th, Avalanche), Peyton Krebs (17th, Golden Knights), Thomas Harley (18th, Stars), Philip Tomasino (24th, Predators), Connor McMichael (25th, Capitals), Jakob Pelletier (26th, Flames), Ryan Suzuki (28th, Hurricanes).
2020 draft: Quinton Byfield (second, Kings), Jamie Drysdale (sixth, Ducks), Jack Quinn (eighth, Sabres), Cole Perfetti (10th, Jets), Dylan Holloway (14th, Oilers), Kaiden Guhle (16th, Canadiens), Dawson Mercer (18th, Devils), Braden Schneider (19th, Rangers), Conor Zary (24th, Flames), Justin Barron (25th, Avalanche)
Which Team Canada players have NHL game experience?
Only Kirby Dach (Blackhawks) and Thomas Harley (Stars) have NHL experience. Dach played 64 games during the 2019-20 season, racking up eight goals and 15 assists. In the bubble in Edmonton, he added another goal and five assists in nine games. Harley played one bubble game for the Stars, a round-robin contest against the Avalanche, where was kept off the scoresheet in more than 11 minutes of ice time. Bowen Byram has also suited up for exhibition games for the Avalanche but has not played a regular-season game just yet.
Which players are 2021 draft-eligible?
The only player who is 2021 draft-eligible is goaltender Taylor Gauthier as an overager.
When is Canada's first game?
The Canadians will kickstart their 2021 campaign like always, on Boxing Day. Canada will face off against Senators prospect Tim Stutzle and Germany at 6 p.m. ET. The game can be viewed on TSN and RDS.
MORE: Everything on Canada's selection camp
Where is Alexis Lafreniere?
On Dec. 3, Hockey Canada announced that Lafreniere will not be joining the team at world juniors.
"After ongoing discussions with the New York Rangers, Hockey Canada has been informed that Alexis Lafrenière will not be released to represent Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton," Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada senior vice president of national teams, said in a statement. "Although we are disappointed Alexis will not be able to join our team for World Juniors, we understand and respect the decision made by the Rangers."
MORE: Alexis Lafreniere will not play for Canada
Discussions with the Rangers were ongoing regarding the 2020 tournament's MVP and No. 1 overall draft pick, but in the end the Rangers opted to not allow him to play for Canada at this year's tournament.