There is a Prince Albert flavour to this summer’s Hockey Canada World Junior virtual camp.
Raiders blueliner Kaiden Guhle and local product Braden Schneider of the Brandon Wheat Kings have both earned invitations to the camp, which will be held from July 27-31.
In previous years, Hockey Canada has sent the players to a summer tournament in Plymouth, Mich., but they have already announced that they won’t be making the trip due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guhle, who has played for his country at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, led all Raiders defenceman in scoring this past season with 40 points in 64 games.
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 is coming off his best campaign with the Wheat Kings as he was named to the Eastern Conference’s first all-star team after posting 42 points in 60 games during his third WHL season.
In addition to playing for Canada at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, Hlinka Gretzky Cup and World Under-18 Hockey Championship, Schneider also earned an invite to last year’s World Junior main camp but was among the final cuts.
The pair, who are expected to be first round picks at this year’s NHL Draft, will look to earn spots on Canada’s 2021 roster as they hope to defend the gold medal they won in the Czech Republic back in January.
Next season’s tournament is slated to be held in Edmonton and Red Deer from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.
The rest of the roster for the virtual camp is as follows:
Goaltenders
- Brett Brochu (London Knights)
- Sebastian Cossa (Edmonton Oil Kings)
- Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers)
- Taylor Gauthier (Prince George Cougars)
- Tristan Lennox (Saginaw Spirit)
Defencemen
- Justin Barron (Halifax Mooseheads)
- Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants)
- Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters)
- Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads)
- Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets)
- Ryan O’Rourke (Soo Greyhounds)
- Matthew Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings)
- Jordan Spence (Moncton Wildcats)
Forwards
- Adam Beckman (Spokane Chiefs)
- Mavrik Bourque (Shawinigan Cataractes)
- Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves)
- Graeme Clarke (Ottawa 67’s)
- Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
- Jack Finley (Spokane Chiefs)
- Tyson Foerster (Barrie Colts)
- 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)
- Dawson Mercer (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
- Alex Newhook (Boston College Eagles)
- Jakob Pelletier (Val-d’Or Foreurs)
- Cole Perfetti (Saginaw Spirit)
- Jacob Perreault (Sarnia Sting)
- Samuel Poulin (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
- Jack Quinn (Ottawa 67’s)
- Jamieson Rees (Sarnia Sting)
- Ryan Suzuki (Saginaw Spirit)
- Philip Tomasino (Oshawa Generals)
- Shane Wright (Kingston Frontenacs)
- Connor Zary (Kamloops Blazers)
Rimouski Oceanic star forward and last year’s tournament MVP Alexis Lafreniere, who is expected to be the first overall pick at the 2020 NHL Draft, was invited to the camp but is not required to attend it.
