Just weeks after being selected in the first round of the NHL Draft, Kaiden Guhle and Braden Schneider’s month got even better on Thursday.
The blueliners are among 46 players that have been invited to Hockey Canada’s extended World Junior Selection Camp, which will run from Nov. 16-Dec. 13 in Red Deer.
The camp will feature practices, three intra-squad games and six matchups with a team of U Sports all-stars before Canada enters the bubble in Edmonton for the World Juniors.
The tournament will be held from Dec. 25 to Jan. 5 at Rogers Place.
Braden Schneider battles for position with Russia’s Maxim Groshev as Team WHL netminder Nolan Maier keeps an eye on the puck at the SaskTel Centre in November.
Schneider, who is from Prince Albert, has spent the last three years on the blueline with the Brandon Wheat Kings and was the 19th overall pick by the New York Rangers on Oct. 6.
He also attended last December’s World Junior selection camp but was among the final cuts.
“Although the final outcome wasn’t what I wanted, it was a great opportunity to play with some of the best guys in my age group at last year’s camp and it (being cut) lit a fire under my belly for the rest of the season,” Schneider said to the Daily Herald ahead of the NHL Draft.
“I know what exactly what I need to do to make the team and to hopefully have the chance to replicate what they did (win a gold medal) on home soil would be pretty special. It’s always an amazing feeling to play for Canada and that’s one of my goals for this coming season.”
Kaiden Guhle fist bumps his Prince Albert Raiders teammates after scoring a goal against the Saskatoon Blades on Feb. 29.
Guhle is coming off of his sophomore campaign with the Prince Albert Raiders and has signed an entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens after they selected him 16th overall earlier this month.
He was also part of Hockey Canada’s virtual summer camp, which was held in July.
“They kept it pretty similar to what they do at the summer camps for the Under-17 and Under-18 teams, except for the fact that we didn’t have the chance to go out on the ice,” Guhle said to the Daily Herald last month. “The main goal of the week was to have us get to know one another so that we aren’t all strangers if we have a camp leading up to the tournament.
“It would be incredible to have the chance to play at the World Juniors, but my bigger focus right now is to help the Raiders bring home another WHL title. We’re going to have a lot of returning guys from last year and everyone will have to step up into bigger roles.”
The full roster for this year’s camp is as follows:
Goaltenders
- Brett Brochu (London Knights)
- Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers)
- Taylor Gauthier (Prince George Cougars)
- Tristan Lennox (Saginaw Spirit)
- Devon Levi (Northeastern Huskies)
Defencemen
- Justin Barron (Halifax Mooseheads)
- Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants – Returning From Last Year’s Team)
- Lukas Cormier (Charlottetown Islanders)
- Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters – Returning From Last Year’s Team)
- Kaiden Guhle (Prince Albert Raiders)
- Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads)
- Daemon Hunt (Moose Jaw Warriors)
- Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets)
- Mason Millman (Saginaw Spirit)
- Ryan O’Rourke (Soo Greyhounds)
- Owen Power (Michigan Wolverines)
- Matthew Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings)
- Braden Schneider (Brandon Wheat Kings)
- Donovan Sebrango (Kitchener Rangers)
- Jordan Spence (Moncton Wildcats)
Forwards
- Adam Beckman (Spokane Chiefs)
- Mavrik Bourque (Shawinigan Cataractes)
- Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves – Returning From Last Year’s Team)
- Graeme Clarke (Ottawa 67’s)
- Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes – Returning From Last Year’s Team)
- Tyson Forester (Barrie Colts)
- Gage Goncalves (Everett Silvertips)
- Ridly Greig (Brandon Wheat Kings)
- Dylan Holloway (Wisconsin Badgers)
- Seth Jarvis (Portland Winterhawks)
- Peyton Krebs (Winnipeg Ice)
- Hendrix Lapierre (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
- Connor McMichael (London Knights – Returning From Last Year’s Team)
- Dawson Mercer (Chicoutimi Sagueneens – Returning From Last Year’s Team)
- Alex Newhook (Boston College Eagles)
- Jakob Pelletier (Val-d’Or Foreurs)
- Cole Perfetti (Saginaw Spirit)
- Samuel Poulin (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
- Jack Quinn (Ottawa 67’s)
- Jamieson Rees (Sarnia Sting)
- Cole Schwindt (Mississauga Steelheads)
- Xavier Simoneau (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
- Ryan Suzuki (Saginaw Spirit)
- Phillip Tomasino (Niagara IceDogs)
- Shane Wright (Kingston Frontenacs)
- Connor Zary (Kamloops Blazers)
Notable players who did not receive invites to the camp are Edmonton Oil Kings goaltender Sebastian Cossa, Michigan Wolverines forward Kent Johnson, Oil Kings forward Jake Neighbours, Victoria Royals forward Brayden Tracey and Raiders forward Ozzy Wiesblatt.
In addition to the Hockey Canada camp list, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on Thursday that former Saskatoon Blades forward Kirby Dach will be loaned to Team Canada by the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 19-year-old had 23 points in 64 regular season contests in his rookie campaign before an impressive showing in the playoffs where he put up six points in nine games.
The status of Rimouski Oceanic star forward Alexis Lafreniere, who is eligible to attend his third straight tournament, is up in the air as the NHL awaits to finalize the start of their 2020-21 campaign.
Lafreniere is expected to start the season with the New York Rangers, who selected him first overall earlier this month.
