Hockey Canada has named the first 23 players for its National Men’s U18 Team pre-tournament camp ahead of the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship in Slovakia. The roster, selected by GM Alan Millar and head scout Byron Bonora with input from the hockey operations team and coaches, includes three goaltenders, seven defencemen, and 13 forwards.It features three gold medallists from the 2025 U18 Worlds, 13 players who won bronze at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and 19 who represented Canada at the U17 World Challenge (12 gold, 7 silver). Millar said the group is excited to head to Slovakia to defend their gold medal, noting they’ll continue monitoring the CHL playoffs and add more players in the coming weeks. The final roster will be announced before the tournament begins.Canada will play two pre-tournament games against Sweden (April 17 in Bratislava) and Czechia (April 19 in Trencin). The World Championship starts April 22, with Canada facing Slovakia, Latvia, Norway, and Finland in the preliminary round. TSN and RDS will broadcast the games.
