Hockey Canada has officially unveiled their roster for the 2025 World Junior Hockey Championship and the roster features one Toronto Maple Leafs prospect.
The lone Toronto Maple Leafs prospect featured on Canada's squad this year is London Knights forward Easton Cowan.
Cowan was selected 28th overall in the 2023 NHL draft and is the Leafs current top prospect. He was a late first round pick no one expected much from, and since being drafted he's taken the OHL by storm, won multiple awards, a championship and scored a point in over 50 straight games.
Below is Canada's forward group.
Canada Names Maple Leafs Top Prospect to 2025 World Juniors Roster
Player | Current Team | Age |
|---|---|---|
Cole Beaudoin | Barrie (OHL) | 18 |
Mathieu Cataford | Rimouski (QMJHL) | 19 |
Berkly Catton | Spokane (WHL) | 18 |
Easton Cowan | London (OHL) | 19 |
Ethan Gauthier | Drummondville (QMJHL) | 19 |
Tanner Howe | Calgary (WHL) | 19 |
Jett Luchanko | Guelph (OHL) | 18 |
Porter Martone | Brampton (OHL) | 18 |
Gavin McKenna | Medicine Hat (WHL) | 16 |
Bradly Nadeau | Chicago (AHL) | 19 |
Luca Pinelli | Ottawa (OHL) | 19 |
Carson Rehkopf | Brampton (OHL) | 19 |
Calum Ritchie | Oshawa (OHL) | 19 |
Brayden Yager | Moose Jaw (WHL) | 19 |
Cuts among the forward group include Denver Barkey, Andrew Cristall, Riley Heidt, Beckett Sennecke, and Matthew Wood.
Wood is likely the most surprising of those cuts as he would have been a returnee and had a strong camp. Sennecke, who is having a strong season with Oshawa in the Ontario League, was a late invite to camp, so despite the impressive season he is having with the Generals, his exclusion isn't shocking.
16-year-old Gavin McKenna is the headline name for this forward group. The Medicine Hat forward, who happens to be cousins with Connor Bedard, is having an unreal season in the Western League. The product of Whitehorse, Yukon Territotories, has a ridiculous 60 points in just 30 games played, with 19 goals and 41 assists to his name. McKenna isn't eligbile to be drafted until the 2026 draft, and with a birthday of December 20th, 2007, he will be 17 by the time the tournament begins on Boxing Day.
Cowan, Rehkoph, and Yager are the only returning forwards from last years squad.
Below is Canada's defence.
Player | Current Team | Age |
|---|---|---|
Beau Akey | Barrie (OHL) | 19 |
Oliver Bonk | London (OHL) | 19 |
Sam Dickinson | London (OHL) | 18 |
Andrew Gibson | Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) | 19 |
Tanner Molendyk | Saskatoon (WHL) | 19 |
Sawyer Mynio | Seattle (WHL) | 19 |
Caden Price | Kelowna (WHL) | 19 |
Matthew Schaefer | Erie (OHL) | 17 |
Cuts among this defensive unit include Cameron Allen, Harrison Brunicke, and Zayne Parekh.
Parekh, who was selected 9th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft to the Calgary Flames, is a player who was on seemingly all mock rosters leading up to this tournament. When the camp invitees were announced, his name was mysteriously left off the list. Then, on Dec 6th, he received an invite to camp as an injury replacement for Harrison Brunicke. All was for not though, as Parekh ended up being cut in the end.
Matthew Schaefer, the youngest member of this defensive core, is only the second draft eligible defenceman to make the Canadian World Juniors squad in the last ten years, with the other player being Jamie Drysdale. Schaefer is one of a handful of players that could potentially go No. 1 in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Oliver Bonk is the only returning defenceman.
Below is Canada's goaltending group.
Player | Current Team | Age |
|---|---|---|
Carson Bjarnason | Brandon (WHL) | 19 |
Carter George | Owen Sound (OHL) | 18 |
Jack Ivankovic | Brampton (OHL) | 17 |
Scott Ratzlaff was the lone cut from this goalie trio.
Carson Bjarnason is expected to be given the nod as the starter when the tournament begins, but as avid viewers of this tournament can tell you, goaltending can change very quickly in a two-week competition.
Canada will be looking to bounce back from a poor result in last years tournament, after they were knocked out in the quarter-finals at the hands of Czechia and finished fifth overall - their worst finish since they finished sixth in 2019.
Canada kicks off their tournament on Boxing Day at 7:30PM EST with a clash against Finland.