Hockey Canada has released their invitation list for the World Junior Summer Showcase (WJSS), and there are two players from the Utah Hockey Club on it.
Both Tij Iginla and Cole Beaudoin have formally been invited and now have a chance to represent Team Canada at the 2024 World Junior Championship.
The WJSS runs from July 28 to August 3 and takes place in both Windsor, Ontario and Plymouth, Michigan.
The ideal for the WJSS is to give those who were invited an opportunity to gain experience and show off their talents. However, keep in mind that just because you attend this showcase doesn't mean you are on the World Junior team for Canada.
There have been cases where the teams named players to the team that weren't invited. The reason for that is that the scouting department for Hockey Canada monitors all the eligible players and can easily have someone else put on their radar unexpectedly.
With that said, both Iginla and Beaudoin have a good chance of making the final roster.
Iginla is no surprise at all; after having a very dominant season in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets, where he scored 57 goals and 37 assists for 84 points, he deserves this. He could earn himself a spot in the top six and be a real difference-maker for the team.
As for Beaudoin, he may not have had the same offensively dominant season that Iginla did, but he still brings a ton of value to a team. He is a detail-oriented player who would likely be on Canada's checking line as the tournament plays out.
Once this showcase is over, hockey fans will hear how their players did, but ultimately they will need to wait until November-December to see who makes the final cut for Team Canada's World Junior roster.