2027 World Junior Championship: Projecting Canada’s roster

Nov 4, 2026, 10:00 EST

2027 World Junior Championship: Projecting Canada’s roster

Credit: Steven Ellis

Canada hasn’t won World Junior gold since 2023. Given the team’s standards, that’s basically an eternity.

It’s been a weird few years for a program that expects excellence. From leaving skilled players at home in favor of grinders to failing to make on-the-fly coaching adjustments, Canada hasn’t gotten it done when it matters most.

Will that change in Edmonton this year? On paper, this is the deepest team in the tournament and one that’ll benefit from Sweden being unlikely to get Ivar Stenberg or Anton Frondell. In fact, of the four U-20 players currently in the NHL this year – Matthew Schaefer, Gavin McKenna, Michael Misa and Ben Kindel – none was expected to be available anyway. Last year, there was always a little bit of hope that Kindel, Sam Dickinson and Berkly Catton would be made available. So it’s actually a good situation for the Canadians this year, assuming the multiple AHLers (Brady Martin, Caleb Desnoyers, Braeden Cootes and Jake O’Brien) are loaned out.

Today, we’re giving an updated look at what Canada’s World Junior roster could look like in December. One thing to keep in mind: while the World Junior Summer Showcase is an evaluation tournament, it would be a mistake to build the roster based on a tournament from July over what the players have done since then. For fun, though, here’s what we projected the lineup to look like back in August.

Canada’s training camp will begin in Calgary on Dec. 13. There’s still a ton of hockey to be played before then, but we figured we’d take a crack at what the roster could look like anyway:

Forwards

*Tynan Lawrence (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)*

Dima Zhilkin (2027) – Cole Reschny (CGY) – Brady Martin (NSH)
Caleb Desnoyers (UTA) – Braeden Cootes (VAN) – Jake O’Brien (SEA)
Caleb Malhotra (VAN) – Tynan Lawrence (STL) – Cameron Schmidt (DAL)
Ethan Belchetz (UTA) – Ryan Roobroeck (CHI) – Maddox Dagenais (STL)
Chase Harrington (CGY), Maddox Schultz (2028)

Also considered: Mathis Preston (ANA); Beckett Hamilton (COL); Shea Busch (FLA); Jack Nesbitt (PHI); Ethan Czata (TBL); Tyler Hopkins (TOR); Philippe Veilleux (2027); Liam Pue (2028)

Say what you want about Canada’s forward crop, but that’s some crazy good center depth. Cole Reschny and Braeden Cootes played in the bottom six for much of the tournament a year ago, but they should be major contributors this time around. Reschny looked excellent with Brady Martin and Dima Zhilkin at the World Junior Summer Showcase, and that’s a trio we hope sticks together. If they were to move anyone, I could see Martin and Cameron Schmidt swapping to balance things out a bit. Either way, there’s tons of talent there. For the second line, you’d get three players with AHL experience (assuming Jake O’Brien is good to go from injury). Cootes and Caleb Desnoyers were on the team last year and will get elevated roles this time around.

College standouts Tynan Lawrence and Caleb Malhotra should both play a big role on this team, too. Lawrence gets the edge from me here just because he’s having a wicked good year at Boston University and has plenty of NCAA experience already. Malhotra, though, has been better than his stats would say (and the stats are solid), but I like him in this role because he’s a defensive wizard, too.

I also was very torn about what to do with the three undrafted prospects – Maddox Schultz, Liam Pue and Philippe Veilleux. The first two have been sensational in the WHL as 16-year-olds and should absolutely be in the conversation. Veilleux, meanwhile, has been the best player in the CHL, period. But if he doesn’t get a top-six role, I worry that his skating and lack of physicality will hold him back here. I considered swapping Veilleux for Cameron Schmidt, but given Schmidt’s Hockey Canada experience (Veilleux has only played for Lebanon internationally), it felt like Veilleux is on the outside looking in – and it might not be his fault, either. He has done literally everything possible to make this team. And I wouldn’t call Schmidt a slam-dunk pick, even with all his WHL dominance the past few years. For now, I gave Schultz the inside track because many evaluators believe he has the flexibility to play anywhere in the lineup and infuse the team with his skating and raw skill.

As for the cuts, I had Shea Busch, Jack Nesbitt and Ethan Czata on my initial roster. Shea Busch has been invisible at Penn State, while Jack Nesbitt has had a steep learning curve to deal with. Czata, meanwhile, looked great at camp and can be a great fourth-line energy forward. If Schultz doesn’t make it, I would expect Czata to get the call. I’m just betting high on true upside here with Schultz.

Defensemen

*Keaton Verhoeff (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)*

Carson Carels (CGY) – Keaton Verhoeff (SJS)
Cameron Reid (NSH) – Landon DuPont (2027)
Daxon Rudolph (BUF) – Ryan Lin (SJS)
Jackson Smith (CBJ) – Xavier Villeneuve (CHI)

Also considered: Brayden Klimpke (MTL); Alex Huang (NSH); Brek Liske (PHI); Alexander Bilecki (TOR)

This is the easiest position to project – and it’s not really any different from the summer projection. Only one new name – Xavier Villeneuve (replacing Brek Liske) – was included. Villeneuve missed Canada’s summer camp due to injury, but he has exploded offensively in the NCAA. In most other years, he would have had a legit chance at a top-four gig. But this could be one of Canada’s deepest bluelines ever, meaning Villeneuve (who was in consideration to make the 2026 team) will have his work cut out for him.

For the rest of the crop, you’ll have the potential for some built-in chemistry (the top pair will be at North Dakota; second pair, Michigan; third, Denver), mixed in with plenty of international experience between the U-17s, Hlinka Gretzky and the U-18s. DuPont is the projected first pick in 2027; six of the other seven listed above ended up becoming first-rounders. This group has a bit of everything: speed, size, skill, defensive awareness, you name it.

Goaltenders

*Jack Ivankovic (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)*

Jack Ivankovic (NSH)
Lucas Beckman (OTT)
Carter Esler (2027)

Canada could elect to bring just two goalies, as we’ve seen them do at home before (they last did that in 2023, though). But if they’re bringing three, this is a strong group. Ivankovic is the clear No. 1, having been the backup the past two years. He has an excellent track record with Hockey Canada, which includes winning gold at two U-18 World Championships and at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Ivankovic has been one of the top goaltenders in the NCAA the past few years and deserves all the hype he’s getting.

Beckman has already been Ivankovic’s backup before, so this feels like a good fit here. The QMJHL veteran has been one of the league’s better goalies in the past few years, highlighted by his hot run with Chicoutimi last season. His numbers are a little less spectacular with Cape Breton, but he has had to steal a few games along the way. He’s a solid backup at an event like this.

I originally had William Lacelle as the third goalie; he was decent during the World Junior Summer Showcase and has been great in the NCAA. But I’ve got a feeling that Hockey Canada would rather give the third spot to Carter Esler, who is off to an unbelievably strong start in Spokane this year. He has experience with Canada internationally, too, with a realistic shot at snagging the starter’s gig in 2028. This could be the perfect opportunity for him to learn what it takes to win at this level.

Also considered: Burke Hood (NYI); William Lacelle (2027)

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