2026 World Junior Championship: A very early Team Canada roster projection
Canada just completed their week-long World Junior Summer Showcase in Minnesota, with very mixed results.
It all started with a split-squad match, and they went 1-2 for the rest of the season as a single team. It was hard to get a true look at Canada’s muscle because, between injuries, sitting key players or just general inexperience playing together as a group, Canada never looked at full strength.
But the 2026 WJC team is built upon winners – something the last two World Junior teams fell well short of accomplishing. Between back-to-back U-17 World Championships, two Hlinka Gretzky Cups and two U-18 World Championships, the 2006 and 2007 age groups have been downright dominant in top-level international events.
Today, we’re going to take an early look at what Canada’s World Junior Championship team could look like in 2026. For this exercise, this team is built with the assumption that Zayne Parekh and Michael Misa are in the NHL. Given both players’ NHL team situations, there’s a good chance they’ll start the year in the NHL and stick around. If either of them are made available for the tourney? Oh boy.
While Matthew Schaefer was taken first overall, I am still 100 percent confident that Schaefer just needs to play a full schedule at his own pace this year. And I truly believe it’ll be in the best interest of the New York Islanders, too.
For comparison, here’s the roster I put together just days after Canada was eliminated in Ottawa. And with that, here’s an updated look at what Canada’s lineup could look like as they look to get revenge on American soil:
Forwards
Gavin McKenna (2026) – Berkly Catton (SEA) – Porter Martone (PHI)
Cayden Lindstrom (CBJ) – Roger McQueen (ANA) – Beckett Sennecke (ANA)
Liam Greentree (LAK) – Jett Luchanko (PHI) – Michael Hage (MTL)
Brady Martin (NSH) – Caleb Desnoyers (UTA) – Tij Iginla (UTA)
Cole Reschny (CGY), Sascha Boisvert (CHI)
This is one heck of a group. Skill, size, hockey sense – all of that is easy to find and available on every line. For starters, McKenna and Martone were absolutely incredible together at the U-18 World Championship, and I would love to see them reunited at this event. McKenna is so skilled with the puck, and Martone is equally skilled as a shooter and a playmaker. Having someone as competent at getting the puck in dangerous areas as Catton is down the middle would make this line impossible to contain.
The second line would be much bigger, but equally scary. Lindstrom and McQueen are massive centers who, when healthy, are truly special players. Lindstrom had a great WJSS, and it was good to see him play as close to 100 percent as we’ve seen in recent years. McQueen, meanwhile, has also dealt with injury issues and didn’t participate in WJSS. But he’s so skilled and has the makings of a No. 1 center in the NHL one day. Sennecke, meanwhile, was the best forward left off Canada’s roster last year – there’s no way that happens this time around.
The third line is all about outsmarting and outworking opponents. Luchanko is the perfect third-line center on this team – and if he’s available, he’ll be a lock as a returning forward. Luchanko looked great in Ottawa, giving a full 200-foot commitment every single shift. That’s what Hage does, too, and his showing in Minnesota last week turned a ton of heads. I have him as a winger here, but I think he’d be the ideal No. 3 center if Luchanko indeed is in the NHL. I think Greentree gets plenty of power-play time after exploiting goaltenders throughout the OHL, and would be an easy candidate to move up the lineup if they needed to shake things up.
The remaining five would be much higher in any other lineup. Iginla missed the WJSS due to an injury, but his hard-working nature – paired with his skill and hockey sense – makes him a no-brainer here. If he’s unavailable for any reason, I wonder if Canada goes for Malcolm Spence to fill a similar role instead. Desnoyers is a proven winner and has plenty of experience playing big roles within the Hockey Canada ladder system. I don’t see them leaving him off the lineup if he continues to kick butt in 2025-26. The same goes for Martin, one of the best players at the U-18s. He’s a workhorse who just never gives up, and he’s got the skill to play higher if needed.
I wasn’t sure where to slot in Reschny and Boisvert, but both are extremely versatile. They played great at the WJSS and while that’s not enough to earn a roster spot, I think they should be in Minnesota for the main event. Reschny is a smart forward who has always been so productive for Canada. If Luchanko goes to the NHL, I can see Reschny moving up higher in the lineup. Boisvert has shown he can play with just about anyone, so that doesn’t hurt, either.
Also considered: Braeden Cootes (VAN), Cole Beaudoin (UTA), Terik Parascak (WSH), Malcolm Spence (NYR), Marek Vanacker (CHI), Jake O’Brien (SEA)
Defensemen
Matthew Schaefer (NYI) – Harrison Brunicke (PIT)
Sam Dickinson (SJS) – Keaton Verhoeff (2026)
Kashawn Aitcheson (NYI) – Cameron Reid (NSH)
Ben Danford (TOR) – Landon DuPont (2027)
Also considered: Charlie Elick (CBJ), Spencer Gill (PHI), Henry Mews (CGY)
Schaefer and Dickinson are the two returnees here, and they’re going to be crucial. Schaefer was injured at this tournament in December and never returned to the OHL. But before that, his speed, skill and hockey sense made him Canada’s best defenseman, despite being the youngest. If he indeed is available for Canada, he’ll be the frontrunner to win top defenseman honors. Dickinson, meanwhile, had a slightly disappointing tournament, but everything he has done beyond that screams “future star defenseman” to me. I think he’d be a perfect No. 2 power-play quarterback, too.
Beyond that, the team has a diverse range of skills. Confidence? Brunicke. Size? Verhoeff. Physicality? Aitcheson. Speed? Reid. Shutdown capabilities? Danford. Pure skill? DuPont. That’s a deep group that no other team can match. I know taking two younger, undrafted defenders feels a bit risky, but Verhoeff was Canada’s top blueliner at the U-18 World Championship and DuPont is one of the most skilled blueliners we’ve seen in years. They absolutely should be in the running. I’d give Verhoeff the edge, and if they decide against DuPont, I could see them preferring the safer stylings of Charlie Elick.
Goaltenders
Carter George (LAK)
Jack Ivankovic (NSH)
Joshua Ravensbergen (SJS)
Also considered: Lucas Beckman (OTT), Evan Gardner (CBJ)
This might be one of the deepest goaltending groups Canada has ever had at this tournament. Seriously, all three have the potential to be NHL starters. We have seen some years where they don’t even have a single future NHLer in the crease. George should be the starting goalie again after an excellent campaign a year ago. I like Ivankovic because, despite his size, he is as skilled as it gets. He has also been nearly perfect throughout his Hockey Canada national team career. Ravensbergen had some good looks at the summer tournament, but comes in as the odd man out, given that the other two made the team last year.
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