Macklin Celebrini, MacKenzie Weegar among Canada’s initial 15-man roster for 2025 World Championship

A good group of young and experienced talent is set to don the maple leaf.

On Thursday, Hockey Canada announced the first 15 players who will represent their country at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship.

“This a very competitive and talented group that provides a strong foundation of NHL and international experience and success,” general manager Kyle Dubas said in a release. “We know these 15 players will give our team a chance to compete for a gold medal as they represent Canada with pride.”

Canada’s roster includes eight players who have appeared at the Men’s Worlds, with another 11 having played at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Of the initial roster, one name that stands out is San Jose Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini. The Hobey Baker Award winner had an exception first year in the NHL, leading the Sharks with 63 points in 70 games, finishing tied for second in scoring among rookies.

Celebrini played for Canada at the 2024 World Juniors, winning bronze at the 2023 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship.

Calgary Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar is also going to be playing for Canada this year. It will be just the second time the Nepean, Ontario native will play for his country, as he helped the Canadians win gold at the world championship in 2023.

Weegar scored eight goals and 47 points in 81 games with the Flames during the regular season.

Hockey Canada is leaving a lot of spots open for its roster, especially with a number of players potentially being eliminated from the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There are a few players already scheduled to join the team during training camp and pre-tournament action this week.

A couple of the notable names are defenseman Zayne Parekh and forward Porter Martone. Parekh just wrapped up a fruitful junior career with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League, getting called up by the Flames late in the regular season. The Nobleton, Ontario native scored in his NHL debut against the Los Angeles Kings on April 17.

Martone is being regarded as a top-five pick in this year’s NHL Draft. The Brampton Steelheads scoring star is coming off a career-high 98-point campaign in the OHL, having scored well over 30 goals in each of his last two seasons.

Canada will open Group A play in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday, May 10, against Slovenia. The Canadians will also be taking on Latvia, France, Austria, Slovakia, Finland and co-host Sweden in the preliminary round.