OTTAWA — Forwards Ridly Greig and defencemen Owen Power and Kaiden Guhle headline Canada’s 35-player selection camp roster for the 2022 world junior men’s hockey championship.
Hockey Canada will choose its 25-player roster following selection camp Dec. 9-12 in Calgary.
Canada opens the IIHF men’s under-20 tournament Dec. 26 versus the Czech Republic in Edmonton.
Red Deer, Alta., is a co-host city. Austria, Germany and Finland are also in Canada’s pool.
The selection camp roster was chosen by Hockey Canada director of player personnel Alan Millar and under-20 management group lead James Boyd.
Canada will take three goaltenders to Edmonton, so Brett Brochu of the London Knights, Dylan Garand of the Kamloops Blazers and Sebastian Cossa of the Edmonton Oil Kings will represent Canada.
Guhle of the Prince Albert Raiders was a member of the Canadian squad that lost 2-0 to the United States in the 2021 world junior final in Edmonton. Manitoba Moose centre Cole Perfetti, who was named to this year’s selection camp roster, was also on that team.
Power, a University of Michigan defenceman, has already won world men’s championship gold with Canada in June in Riga, Latvia.
He was named to the selection camp roster last year, but the Wolverines did not release him to Hockey Canada.
Greig, a first-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, has 12 goals, 11 assists in 16 game this season for the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Regina Pats forward Connor Bedard, 16, and Kingston Frontenacs forward Shane Wright, 17, were also among selection camp invitees.
Ottawa 67’s head coach Dave Cameron will coach Canada in Edmonton. He was also head coach in 2011, when Canada lost the final 5-3 to Russia, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Canada will play pre-tournament exhibition games Dec. 19 against Switzerland, Dec. 20 versus Sweden and Dec. 22 against Russia.
Edmonton was the host city of the 2021 tournament, which was played without fans because of COVID-19. Fully-vaccinated ticket buyers can attend games in Edmonton and Red Deer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2021.
The Canadian Press