2026 IIHF World Junior Championship: Gavin McKenna headlines Canada’s training camp roster
Hockey Canada has unveiled the 27 players who will make up the training camp roster for the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, held in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.
Canada will be looking to build off a fifth-place finish in each of the last two World Junior Championships after winning back-to-back gold medals in 2022 and 2023.
Here’s what you need to know.
Team Canada
The training roster is headline by Gavin McKenna, the projected first overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft. McKenna, who has 18 points (4G, 14A) in 16 NCAA games with Penn State this season, made the World Junior team as a 16-year-old last year.
In addition to McKenna, forwards Jett Luchanko, Porter Martone and Cole Beaudoin as well as goaltenders Carter George and Jack Ivankovic are returning from last year’s team.
The roster is littered with high end talent, with 19 first round picks, eight from 2024 and 11 from 2025.
Major junior players make up the majority of the team as 16 players come from the CHL. There are also seven NCAA players and three from NHL clubs.
The loaned NHL players are Calgary Flames defenceman Zayne Parekh, San Jose Sharks forward Michael Misa and Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Harrison Brunicke.
Parekh, who has one assist in 11 games with Calgary this season, is currently on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Misa has one goal and two assists in seven games with the Sharks. He’s currently on an AHL conditioning loan following an ankle injury.
Brunicke has one goal in nine games with the Penguins and two assists in three AHL games.
Team Canada roster
Forwards
- Gavin McKenna
- Brady Martin
- Michael Misa
- Tij Iginla
- Carter Bear
- Cole Beaudoin
- Cole Reschny
- Braeden Cootes
- Jett Luchanko
- Jake O’Brien
- Caleb Desnoyers
- Liam Greentree
- Porter Martone
- Michael Hage
- Sam O’Reilly
Defencemen
- Cameron Reid
- Kashawn Aitcheson
- Carson Carels
- Ethan MacKenzie
- Jackson Smith
- Harrison Brunicke
- Zayne Parekh
- Ben Danford
- Keaton Verhoeff
Goaltenders
- Carter George
- Jack Ivankovic
- Joshua Ravensbergen
