In a month and some change, the 2025 World Junior Championship (WJC) is set to get underway for some of the best under-20 hockey players in the world. In its last tournament, Team Canada didn’t even qualify for the Bronze Medal Game. With something to prove, they’ll be bringing the heat this winter.
Below is a prediction of Canada’s 2025 WJC roster, including 13 forwards, seven defencemen, and three goaltenders. The prospects of 12 different NHL teams are being represented here, which is 37.5 percent of the league. No matter who you’re cheering for, there’s a reason to keep an eye on this squad.
Canada’s Forwards
Starting on offence, there’s some uncertainty with the forward group. There are plenty of directions to go here:
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
| Bradly Nadeau | Brayden Yager | Easton Cowan |
| Gavin McKenna | Calum Ritchie | Matthew Wood |
| Michael Misa | Berkly Catton | Beckett Sennecke |
| Carson Rehkopf | Jett Luchanko | Porter Martone |
| Denver Barkey |
This Canadian forward group is loaded with talent, so there are quite a few key omissions here (Tij Iginla, Andrew Cristall, Riley Heidt, Cayden Lindstrom, Liam Greentree, and more). As opposed to their 2024 roster, this team is poised to do some damage. With veteran leadership, an immense amount of skill, and players who can satisfy their needs in any kind of situation, Canada should be the favourite to win gold.
Related: 2025 World Junior Championship Schedule Released
Three members of the top six have already been on this stage before: Easton Cowan, Brayden Yager, and Matthew Wood. They put up 11 points cumulatively in Canada’s five-game tournament in 2024, and they’ve earned a re-invitation. Each of them could see a top-six workload.
Since he last played in the WJC, Cowan has been one of the most unstoppable players in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He has points in 49 consecutive regular-season games, spanning back to Nov. 23, 2023. There have been some close calls in there, but he’s ultimately a lock for this roster. Seeing as some fans and pundits felt he had a chance to play with the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, he’s more than worthy of this spot. Yager is largely depended upon by his Moose Jaw Warriors club over in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and can control play when he’s out there. He seems to be the de facto top centre for this team. Wood is the highest teenage scorer in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) this season with 14 points. At 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, Wood provides size to a lineup that lacks it. He’ll provide a scoring touch, too, to the second line.
Bradly Nadeau’s professional experience—briefly in the NHL but full-time in the American Hockey League (AHL)—should get him some minutes. One of his big strengths will be taking advantage of space in the offensive zone. Calum Ritchie, who played a short stint with the Colorado Avalanche this season, also has the professional path working in his favour. The only youth in the top six is Gavin McKenna, who is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. He may be 16 years old (17 when the tournament starts) and nearly three years younger than some of his competition, but don’t let that fool you. He is a dynamic player who can take over shifts, either making plays for himself or his linemates. With 39 points, he is the WHL’s current top scorer.
We can have a little bit more fun with the bottom six. Objectively speaking, both Canada’s third and fourth lines are better on paper than the top line of many nations competing. Michael Misa, eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft, has exploded to be the OHL’s top scorer this season. His championship experience (2024 Memorial Cup) could give him the edge over some more established forwards. Berkly Catton, who had top-tier production in his draft year last season, will be Misa’s partner in crime. Catton’s offensive talent and IQ will allow Canada to keep the attack coming when their top players need rest. Beckett Sennecke, the third overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, has gotten off to a great start (23 points in 15 games) in the OHL after suffering a foot fracture in the offseason. He’ll round out this dangerous line.
The fourth line is a pretty young one, but it may catch some teams off guard. Linemates Carson Rehkopf (2023 draft class) and Porter Martone (2025 draft eligible) have taken the OHL by storm, putting up 61 points combined for the Brampton Steelheads. With 18-year-old Jett Luchanko down the middle, this trio has speed, skill, and the ability to prolong offensive zone possessions. Due to the new Rehkopf-Martone connection, this may be a sneakily overpowering depth unit.
Things get tricky with the last forward. It’s debatable that any of Iginla, Cristall, Heidt, Lindstrom (if healthy), or Greentree make this team better. But there’s a good mix of everything with the roster. Denver Barkey applies to that last point, even if his 11 points in 13 games don’t exactly jump off the page for the OHL. He scored 102 points last season and could be very useful in a limited role. Barkey is a nice energy player to have for the bottom six, and he can either play on the wing or down the middle. Plus, he is a penalty-killer for the London Knights alongside Cowan.
Canada’s Defencemen
There’s less fun to be had with the defencemen on this team, but that doesn’t mean tough decisions won’t have to be made. Here are the predictions:
| Left Defence | Right Defense |
| Sam Dickinson | Oliver Bonk |
| Tanner Molendyk | Zayne Parekh |
| Caden Price | Carter Yakemchuk |
| Matthew Schaefer |
There may be some disputable choices here, but it seems inevitable that the Knights’ Sam Dickinson and Oliver Bonk will unite on a pairing for Canada. Bonk is a returning member from the 2024 WJC, while Dickinson is fresh off being selected 11th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2024 NHL Draft. They’ve displayed some high-level chemistry in the OHL, so putting that in the international spotlight should be a good challenge. Opponents should keep an eye on Dickinson in particular, who has 25 points (11 goals and 14 assists) in 15 games this season.
For the second pairing, both Tanner Molendyk and Zayne Parekh seem to be good bets to make the team, as well. The former was taken by the Nashville Predators in the 2023 NHL Draft. He scored 37 points in 67 games that season, but he has soared to point-per-game production in the WHL ever since. His skating will be an invaluable asset to his club. Next to him, Parekh has even more offensive upside. The OHL defender exploded for 96 points in his draft year, and the Calgary Flames took notice, selecting him ninth overall. Both Molendyk and Parekh can make Canada’s blue line more potent, which may help them finish atop the competition.
Caden Price and Carter Yakemchuk occupy this third pairing. Price, a member of the 2023 draft class, is producing at a 100-point pace for the Kelowna Rockets this season. The Kraken’s third-round gem will be useful in transition. As for Yakemchuk, he’s a bit raw for a seventh-overall pick, but Canada will lean on him. He is a point-per-game player in the WHL just like he was last season.
The final slot is up for grabs, so Matthew Schaefer is an inspired choice here. Objectively the best defender in the upcoming 2025 class, he has a case to make this team despite his youth. He can play at both ends of the ice but is highly skilled with elite skating ability and top-notch hockey IQ. A contender for the first-overall selection among a stacked group of forwards, it’s possible he finds his way ahead of some older peers to make this squad. He has 11 points in nine games for the Erie Otters this season.
Schaefer is beating out more experienced talents such as Lukas Dragicevic and Sawyer Mynio, but his upside gives him the edge. He was a key standout in Canada’s gold-medal victory in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August.
Canada’s Goaltenders
The goaltending battle is a pretty interesting one, seeing as there really isn’t a clear-cut starter at this point. It could be anyone’s battle:
| Goaltenders |
| Scott Ratzlaff |
| Carter George |
| Carson Bjarnason |
Though his numbers aren’t great this season (.891 save percentage), Buffalo Sabres prospect Scott Ratzlaff deserves to be on this team. He has been a rock between the pipes for the Seattle Thunderbirds on many nights and he has experience to boot. With over 100 starts in the WHL, he’s a safe pick but also a potentially reliable one.
Carter George, selected in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft, could steal some starts. His numbers this season are great but not fantastic, sitting on a .908 save percentage with the Owen Sound Attack. Being a year younger than Ratzlaff could prevent him from taking on a heavier workload, but George was also the starter of Canada’s under-18 gold-medal squad in the spring.
Carson Bjarnason is probably on par with the other two netminders skill-wise, but he may be ahead in the depth chart considering his hot start to the 2024-25 campaign. Among the 41 goaltenders with at least five games played, he leads the WHL by a wide margin in save percentage (.925). He has been the Brandon Wheat Kings’ starter for three seasons now, so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see him be the starter of this team. Still, Ratzlaff and George are ahead in this prediction.
Joshua Ravensbergen, eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft, is an honourable mention here. None of the aforementioned netminders were first-round picks, but Ravensbergen could be. His .904 save percentage has helped the Prince George Cougars be one of the best teams in the WHL.
This January, Canada will be looking to add their 21st gold medal in this tournament to their collection. Stronger than they were a year ago, they have the weapons in place to make it a reality.
