Team Canada has officially released their 2026 World Junior Championship roster, and it’s the best it has looked since the United States started ruling the tournament a couple of years ago. After a quarterfinal exit in 2025, losing to Czechia and leaving with nothing to show for it in 2024, this is a make-or-break year for Canada, and they have a lot of talent that viewers should keep an eye on.
Gavin McKenna
Gavin McKenna is highly touted as the best prospect going into this year’s draft and might be the best offensive player on Canada heading into this year’s tournament. McKenna was the hottest recruit in the NCAA and ended up choosing Penn State University.
McKenna has adapted a playmaking role for the Nittany Lions throughout his freshman season so far. He has four goals and 14 assists, tallying up to 18 points in 16 games. McKenna was on the WJC team last year and only had one assist, but this time around, he’ll most likely have a top-line role and should put a lot more points on the board since he’s improved since then as well.
Zayne Parekh
The Calgary Flames have loaned defenceman Zayne Parekh to Hockey Canada, and he will be on the top pairing and will be the premier defenceman on the WJC team. That’s most likely why the Flames loaned him, as well. Parekh, 19, has struggled so far this season, having one assist in 11 games before his injury. The Flames hope that Parekh can gain some confidence playing on an international stage.
Related: 2026 World Junior Championship Team Canada Final Roster
In an interview with the Calgary Herald, Parekh said that he was “pumped” to get back on the ice and play for his country and hopes that this will get him back into the swing of things. Team Canada will be in good hands with Parekh, as he has experience at the highest level in hockey. Parekh can translate that and guide the defensive corps through the tournament.
Carter George
Carter George, a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Kings, was the heartbeat of Team Canada last year despite the early exit to Czechia. George had a 1.76 goals-against average (GAA) and a .936 save percentage (SV%) in the 2025 WJC and was one of the few bright spots afterwards. However, he’s been struggling this season with the Owen Sound Attack in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), currently sporting a 3.12 GAA and a .899 SV%, which is not ideal coming into the tournament.
Even with his low stats, if you look at last season, George was the same. His stats with the Attack weren’t great, but when he got to the big stage, he instantly turned it on and stood on his head. Plus, the Attack are a middle-of-the-pack team; with Canada, he gets a lot more support. There is no reason he can’t do the same thing this year and lead Canada to gold in between the pipes.
Other Notables
Keaton Verhoeff, defenceman, is a projected top-three pick in the 2026 Draft and adds to the right side of the defensive core behind Parekh. Verhoeff is one of the best defencemen in the NCAA right now with the University of North Dakota, as he has 11 points in 16 games. He was one of the guaranteed locks alongside McKenna, and it’s rightfully earned.
Porter Martone, chosen sixth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2025 Draft, will be on McKenna’s wing for the duration of the tournament. He only participated in three games last year for Canada, but had a goal to show for it. He is lighting it up in the NCAA with Michigan State University, tallying 11 goals and 20 points throughout 16 games. With a full slate of games ahead of him for this year’s WJC, expect him to be a key piece.
Michael Hage, taken 21st overall in the 2024 Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, has quickly emerged as one of the better prospects in the league. Being a late first-round pick, the selection is starting to look like a steal for the Habs. Hage, a Wolverine with the University of Michigan of the NCAA, will make his first Team Canada appearance. Last season with Michigan, he put up a 34-point campaign. This season, though, he has 28 points in 20 games, looking to surpass that 34-point mark by a mile. Hopefully, he continues his upward trend and plays well.
There are other 2025 draftees worth mentioning, such as Caleb Desnoyers (Utah Mammoth), Jake O’Brien (Seattle Kraken), and Kashawn Aitcheson (New York Islanders). Team Canada needed to make a statement after the last two years, which were embarrassing. They did just that and put together arguably the best roster on paper.
