Cypress River's Carson Carels has earned a place on Team Canada's National Under-18 Team. 

This past week, the staff of Hockey Canada announced its final roster for the team set to do battle at the 2025 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, from August 11–15 in Brno, Czechia and Trenčín, Slovakia.

Having just turned 17, the 6-foot-2 defenceman spent the past season with the Western Hockey League's Prince George Cougars where he put up six goals and 35 points in 60 games on the blueline. 

The former Pilot Mound Academy standout is considered a consensus top-30 pick entering the 2026 NHL Draft next June. 

He is one of six players at camp that helped Canada win gold at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship. He also wore the Maple Leaf with Team Canada Red at the 2024 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

The tournament is set to begin on Monday, August 11.