25 CHL Players to Represent Canada at 2025 U18 World Championship

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25 CHL Players to Represent Canada at 2025 U18 World Championship

April 24, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


TORONTO, ON - The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to announce that 25 CHL players will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada's National Men's Under-18 Team at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship (see complete list below), which is scheduled to take place in Frisco and Allen, Texas, from April 23 - May 3. Although the tournament officially began yesterday, Canada will start the defence of its gold medal today when taking on Slovakia at 4 p.m. CT in their opening game.

In total, there are 11 from the Western Hockey League (WHL), 10 players from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and four from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) who will represent Team Canada.

The group of 14 forwards is highlighted by four players (Brady Martin, Jack Nesbitt, Braeden Cootes, Cole Reschny) who were recently ranked among NHL Central Scouting's top-25 North American skaters heading into the 2025 NHL Draft. Additionally, Canada's squad will feature a pair of forwards in Cameron Schmidt (Vancouver Giants / WHL) and Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara Ice Dogs / OHL), who both tallied 40-plus goals during the 2024-25 campaign.

On the backend, the eight defencemen on the roster are highlighted by top 2025 NHL Draft prospect Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans / WHL), who finished tenth in scoring among WHL blueliners following his 54-point season (11G-43A) in 2024-25. Additionally, 2026 NHL Draft prospect Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL) set a new Armada franchise record for points (62) by a blueliner in a single season, while Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants / WHL) placed himself among the ten highest-scoring U17 defencemen in the CHL over the last 35 years with his 53-point campaign (5G-48A).

In net, Team Canada will be led by two of the top goalies heading into the 2025 NHL Draft, Lucas Beckman (Baie-Comeau Drakkar / QMJHL) and Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads / OHL). Beckman led the QMJHL in wins (31) and ranked among that league's top-five netminders for goals-against average (2.65), save percentage (.914), and shutouts (4). Meanwhile, Ivankovic is the lone returnee from last year's team that defeated the United States to earn gold at last year's tournament in Espoo, Finland.

Two-time Stanley Cup champion Cory Stillman (Guelph Storm / OHL) is the team's head coach, working alongside associate coach Travis Crickard (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL), assistant coach Mathieu Turcotte (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL), and goaltending consultant Dan De Palma (Kamloops Blazers / WHL).

Since 2002, Canada has won five gold medals at the IIHF U18 Men's World Championship (2003, 2008, 2013, 2021, 2024), in addition to one silver (2005) and four bronze (2012, 2014, 2015, 2023).

The 2025 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship kicked off on April 23, with Canada taking on Slovakia, Latvia, Finland, and Norway in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 3. TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, are broadcasting 16 tournament games, including all Team Canada's preliminary-round games, as well as the quarterfinals, semifinals, and medal games.

With over 30 CHL players participating in the tournament, the CHL is the only development hockey league in the world to feature one player on eight of the 10 participating countries at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship.

For more information on the 2025 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship, please visit the official tournament website at IIHF.com. For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada's National Men's Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

QUICK FACTS

There are seven players on Canada (Ivankovic, Beauchesne, Smith, Cootes, Martin, Reschny, Schmidt) who helped Team CHL defeat the U.S. National Under-18 Team last November at the inaugural 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada.

17 of the 25 players on Team Canada's U18 roster were listed in NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft.

Ivankovic is one of just three players in history (alongside Matthew Schaefer and Caleb Desnoyers) to win gold for Team Canada at the U17s, U18s, and Hlinka-Gretzky Cup.

Eight players on Canada's roster are eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft (Carels, Villeuneuve, Di Iorio, Edwards, Lin, Roobroeck, Rudolph, Verhoeff).

12 players won gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Martin, Hopkins, Reschny, Czata, Schmidt, Kilfoil, Cootes, Smith, Beauchesne, Huang, Ivankovic, Beckman).

21 players have represented Canada at the U17 World Challenge (Carels, Di Iorio, Edwards, Lin, Rooebroeck, Rudolph, Verhoeff, Villeneuve, Reschny, Martin, Cootes, Kilfoil, Smith, Beauchesne, Nesbitt, Hopkins, Schmidt, Czata, Huang, Ivankovic, Katzin).

Gard, Sawchyn, and Hood will represent their country for the first time in their careers at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship.

25 CHL PLAYERS NAMED TO CANADA'S NATIONAL MEN'S U18 TEAM

(G) Lucas Beckman (Baie-Comeau Drakkar / QMJHL)

(G) Burke Hood (Vancouver Giants / WHL)

(G) Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads / OHL)

(D) Quinn Beauchesne (Guelph Storm / OHL)

(D) Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars / WHL)

(D) Alex Huang (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL)

(D) Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants / WHL)

(D) Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL)

(D) Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans / WHL)

(D) Keaton Verhoeff (Victoria Royals / WHL)

(D) Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL)

(F) Braeden Cootes (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL)

(F) Ethan Czata (Niagara IceDogs / OHL)

(F) Alessandro Di Iorio (Sarnia Sting / OHL)

(F) Matthew Gard (Red Deer Rebels / WHL)

(F) Beckham Edwards (Sarnia Sting / OHL)

(F) Tyler Hopkins (Kingston Frontenacs / OHL)

(F) Lev Katzin (Guelph Storm / OHL)

(F) Liam Kilfoil (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL)

(F) Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds / OHL)

(F) Jack Nesbitt (Windsor Spitfires / OHL)

(F) Cole Reschny (Victoria Royals / WHL)

(F) Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara IceDogs / OHL)

(F) Cameron Schmidt (Vancouver Giants / WHL)

(F) Lukas Sawchyn (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL)

Michael Misa (Saginaw Spirit / OHL), Landon DuPont (Everett Silvertips / WHL), and Jake O'Brien (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL) were invited but are unable to participate

General Manager - Scott Walker (Guelph Storm / OHL)

Head Coach - Cory Stillman (Guelph Storm / OHL)

Associate Coach - Travis Crickard (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL)

Assistant Coach - Mathieu Turcotte (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL)

Goaltending Consultant - Dan De Palma (Kamloops Blazers / WHL)

Video coach - Matthew Smith (Acadie-Bathurst Titan / QMJHL)

Athletic therapists - Andy Brown (Owen Sound Attack / OHL) and Terence Robertson (Red Deer Rebels / WHL)

Team physician - Dr. Nolan Rau (Kelowna Rockets / WHL)

Strength and Conditioning Coach - Sean Young (Ottawa 67's / OHL)

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