Team Canada's world juniors squad will be stacked in Ottawa, as Tony Ferrari projects 20 NHL prospects to make the roster. But the headliner could be a 16-year-old.

The world juniors are arguably the biggest annual international tournament on the hockey calendar, especially in Canada.

This year will be no different in Ottawa as the U-20 event over the holidays will be must-watch action for hockey fans worldwide.

This year, the Canadians will bring a particularly strong roster, with some of their best players being their youngest.

That said, projecting the exact roster for Canada is nearly impossible because they always seem to have a surprise or two.

Even when the competition for a spot is incredibly tight with some near-elite talent left out, they seem to find an under-the-radar addition to the roster. Last year, it was undrafted 19-year-old Owen Allard who parlayed the opportunity into being drafted in the fifth round in June.

Surely, the lines will be different, and there will be a player or two swapped who I have just missing the cut. But this is how I see Hockey Canada putting their roster together for the 2025 World Junior Championship, even if I’d have a few different players making the squad.

Forwards

Final cuts: Denver Barkey (PHI), Tij Iginla (UTA), Liam Greentree (LA), Andrew Cristall (WSH), Cole Beaudoin (UTA), Tanner Howe (PIT)

There is plenty of talent on the roster, including two players who played NHL games this year in Ritchie and Luchanko. 

But the headliner on this roster is the team’s youngest member, Gavin McKenna. 

McKenna has been an absolute menace in the WHL, with his 44 points leading all players in scoring by eight points so far. McKenna is a cerebral offensive player who can absolutely pick apart a defense. He’s a wicked playmaker, and he could be one of Canada’s most dangerous players.

Speaking of Ritchie, he seems like a perfect fit alongside McKenna on the top line. He was arguably the OHL’s best player toward the end of last season, and he could be an anchor for Canada at the world juniors. Adding his Oshawa teammate and 2024 third-overall pick, Beckett Sennecke, to their wing would bring some instant chemistry to the top of the lineup as well.

The middle six features three returning forwards, Easton Cowan, Brayden Yager and Matthew Wood. All three will be tasked with playing important roles for the team and could play in all situations. Luchanko rose on draft boards late last season because of his incredible work ethic, which should make him a perfect addition to the Canadians' third line.

The fourth line is the most intriguing on the squad with two of the top prospects eligible for this year’s NHL draft in Michael Misa and Porter Martone. 

The duo sits first and second in OHL scoring, respectively. Pairing them with returnee Carson Rehkopf, Martone’s friend and linemate in Brampton, would make the Canadian fourth line more dangerous than most other team’s first lines.

Colby Barlow is slotted in as the 13th forward because Hockey Canada seems to love him and his north-south goal-scoring ability. Tij Iginla would fit in as a versatile forward the team could slot in up and down the lineup. Tanner Howe or Cole Beaudoin could easily fit in as the typical Hockey Canada depth grinder it always seem to go with.

Defensemen

Final cuts: Caden Price (SEA), Tarin Smith (ANA), Etienne Morin (CGY), Andrew Gibson (NSH)

Canada’s defense group has plenty of potential, but there could be some mixing and matching among the defenders to get the pairings right. 

Where they may start for the top pair is London Knights duo Sam Dickinson and Oliver Bonk. Both Knights blueliners can play at a high level offensively and defensively, and they can eat up big minutes.

Molendyk missed last year’s event after being injured in pre-tournament action, but the smooth-skating blueliner should be a fixture in the team’s top four. Slotting him in next to offensive dynamo Zayne Parekh could make for an impressive and high-powered second pair.

This third pairing is what Canada loves in depth defenders. Sawyer Mynio and Ben Danford are both capable of shutting the opposing team down. Neither is flashy, but both could be defensive anchors when closing out games and defending late leads.

Carter Yakemchuk is the seventh defender because of his pedigree, but there isn’t really a role for him in this group. He could capably fill in at any spot, but he wouldn’t be quite as good at the roles as each of those top six D-men. 

Tarin Smith is an interesting option as well because of his high-end skating and tools. Andrew Gibson has the defensive traits Canada seems to love, but he isn’t quite as complete as Mynio and Danford.

Goalies

Final cuts: Joshua Ravensbergen (2025), Evan Gardner (CLB), Jack Ivankovic (2025)

Team Canada's goaltenders haven’t been truly dominant lately. That makes this position so contentious heading into the 2025 world juniors.

Scott Ratzlaff has the inside track on the starter gig after making the team last year despite not playing. He has a 3.95 goals-against average and .887 save percentage in 14 games so far for the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds,

Bjarnason has been absolutely fantastic this season, however, with a 2.82 GAA and .920 SP in 10 games for the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings. He should push Ratzlaff for the starter job. It will be an interesting battle between the two.

Canada doesn’t typically bring a third goalie to the event when it’s in North America, but I’ve added Carter George, as he would likely be next in line to join the team if there was an injury in net. 

The Canadians could opt to bring Ravensbergen or Ivankovic if they wanted to give a young player some experience in the world junior environment just to get them ready for future opportunities, but I don’t see them doing that.

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