Los Angeles Kings prospects Liam Greentree and Carter George have been projected to make Team Canada for the upcoming World Junior Championships. With that, there's another youngster who could creep his way into the conversation.
The 2026 World Junior Championship is about a month away from kicking off in Minnesota. With that comes debate as to who should be named to each respective nation’s roster.
Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News’ prospect expert, released his Team Canada roster projections recently, and on that team were two Los Angeles Kings prospects.
In Canada’s forward group, Liam Greentree, selected 24th overall by the Kings in 2024, was listed on the third line in the right wing position. Along with Greentree, goaltender Carter George was projected to be the starting goaltender at the tournament.
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Where they fit in the lineup, it’s too early to decide that. However, in terms of the makeup of the roster, at this point in the season, there’s a pretty good understanding as to what it will look like.
Starting with Greentree, he had a spectacular season with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires last season. He scored 49 goals and 70 assists for 119 points, finishing third in the OHL in points and fourth in goals.
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This year, the 19-year-old is in his final season of junior hockey. Next season, he’ll be able to join the Kings’ organization and get some playing time in the AHL with the Ontario Reign.
In 18 appearances with the Spitfires this campaign, he has 14 goals and 27 points to his name. While he’s on pace to record fewer points than last season and missed eight games to start the year, he’ll likely be well over a point per game.
With that, the Spitfires have the second-most points in the OHL and lead the Western Conference with the help of Greentree.
While current lineup projections may be foggy, as mentioned, Greentree was lined up on the right wing of Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel and Calgary Flames left winger Cole Reschny.
Windsor’s captain hasn’t represented Canada at the world juniors yet, but has a great chance at doing so this time around before he turns his head to pro-hockey.
George, who has plenty more certainty about his vital role on his team at the world juniors, is also in his last season of junior hockey.
He represented Team Canada at last year’s tournament and was lights out for the Canadians between the pipes.
In four appearances, he registered a 1.76 goals-against average, a .936 save percentage and two shutouts, sparking a 2-2-0 record. It’s tough to deny that he’ll be Canada’s No. 1 goalie this time around.
In terms of club hockey, George has made 19 appearances thus far for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. In that span, he’s put up an average 3.07 GAA and .900 SP, owning a 9-7-2 record on a team that’s just behind the Spitfires in the Western Conference in points.
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However, the high-end Canadian prospects don’t end at Greentree and George.
Jimmy Lombardi, of the OHL’s Flint Firebirds, has been stellar, leading all Kings prospects in scoring.
Los Angeles selected him in the fourth round of last year’s draft, selecting him 125th overall. In 23 games, Lombardi has 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points.
He’s tied for fifth in the league in goals, while sitting in 11th in the OHL for points. While he remains off the radar for this year’s world juniors, it won’t be a surprise to see the 18-year-old center make noise for next season’s competition.
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