Team Canada has officially dropped its rosters for the World Junior Summer Showcase. Among the invitees are five QMJHL players.
Mathieu Cataford, now of the Rimouski Océanic, was a player I profiled in the WJC-SS preview. The 2023 77th overall pick netted 90 points last season as a member of the Halifax Mooseheads before getting dealt to the Rimouski Océanic as they are hosting the Memorial Cup this year. The Vegas prospect only represented Team Canada once at the 2022 Hlinka-Gretzky tournament, where he potted a single point across five games.
The Moncton Wildcats had three of its skaters make the camp in Calgary second rounder Etienne Morin, the newly acquired Dylan MacKinnon and the undrafted underdog Vincent Collard. Much like Cataford, I profiled Morin too. Morin, who was Calgary's 2023 48th overall selection, would likely provide a nice balance between offense and physical ability. Dylan MacKinnon, the Predators 2023 3rd rounder, is no slouch physically either. He will re-unite with former Halifax teammate Cataford as well as get reps in with his new Moncton teammates. As for Vincent Collard, he could be this year's Owen Allard, as a player who went undrafted previously but may work his way onto the team and potentially onto NHL scouts radars.
Finally, Ethan Gauthier of the Drummondville Voltigeurs is the most prominent prospect, having been a former 2023 37th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Gauthier is a high stakes player, having previously scored seven points, six of which goals, in five games at the 2022 Hlinka-Gretzky tournament, and 25 points during Drummondville's championship winning playoff run this past year.
Just because these players have made the showcase roster, doesn't mean that they will represent Team Canada in Ottawa at the World Juniors this holiday season. There will be cuts and there will be injuries.
Furthermore, just because certain players didn't make the summer showcase roster, doesn't mean that they will be left off the main roster. The WHL's Gavin McKenna will be a prime example this year as he wasn't invited to the World Juniors camp as he will be representing Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky U-18 tournament instead.
The World Juniors Summer Showcase begins July 26th.