It appears that Canada's roster for the World Junior Championship (WJC) is coming into focus, and one Pittsburgh Penguins' prospect will be part of the tournament.
On Thursday, Team Canada made three cuts to its training camp roster, trimming the roster to 25, which is the maximum roster for the WJC. They elected to keep Penguins' top defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke - an expected move - while they cut forwards Jake O'Brien and Marek Vanacker as well as defenseman Jackson Smith.
Brunicke, 19, was placed back on Canada's second pairing Friday alongside Kashawn Aitcheson, who was selected 17th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2025 NHL Draft.
It is unclear up to this point if this will be Canada's final roster, as rosters aren't due until Dec. 23. However, with the roster being cut to 25, it's a pretty safe bet that this will be the roster when the WJC begins on Dec. 26. The team also has yet to reveal the leadership group for the squad, and Brunicke figures to be a top candidate for one of the three captaincy slots.
Brunicke was one of three NHL players who were lent to Team Canada by their clubs for the WJC, with the others being Michael Misa of the San Jose Sharks and Zayne Parekh of the Calgary Flames. He had one goal in nine games with Pittsburgh this season, and he was on an AHL conditioning stint prior to World Junior camp in which he put up three points in five games.
He is expected to be part of a shutdown pairing with Aitcheson at the tournament, and they are on the team's top penalty-killing unit.
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