World junior selection camp roster announced

CALGARY — A core of seven players from last year’s silvermedal winning team were named to Canada’s world junior hockey championship selection camp roster on Wednesday.

Hockey Canada invited 32 players — 18 forwards, 10 defencemen and four goaltenders — to its selection camp roster at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ont., starting on Dec. 12.

Goal tender Carter Hart( Everett ), defencemen Jake Bean (Calgary), Kale Clague (Brandon) and Dante Fabbro (Boston University) and forwards Dillon Dube (Kelowna), Michael McLeod (Mississauga) and Taylor Raddysh (Erie) are the returning players.

Other notable players joining the returnees are OHL leading scorer Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia), WHL leading goal scorer Tyler Steenbergen (Swift Current), last year’s WHL player of the year Sam Steel (Regina) and Memorial Cup-winning goaltender Michael DiPietro (Windsor).

Joining Hart and DiPietro in net will be Samuel Harvey (RouynNoranda) and Colton Point (Colgate University).

On defence, Dennis Cholowski (Prince George), Mario Ferraro (University of Massachusetts), Cal Foote (Kelowna), Josh Mahura (Regina), Cale Makar (University of Massachusetts), Logan Stanley (Kitchener) and Conor Timmins (Sault Ste. Marie) were invited.

Rounding out the forwards are: Jonathan Ang (Peterborough), Drake Batherson (Cape Breton), Maxime Comtois (Victoriaville), Alex Formenton (London), Jonah Gadjovich (Owen Sound), Cody Glass (Portland), Brett Howden (Moose Jaw), Tanner Kaspick (Brandon), Boris Katchouk (Sault Ste. Marie), Kole Lind (Kelowna) and Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound),

There are six players currently in the NHL who are eligible to play at the world juniors but are not on Hockey Canada’s selection camp roster: Arizona defenceman Jakob Chychrun, Montreal defenceman Victor Mete, Columbus centre Pierre-Luc Dubois, Philadelphia centre Nolan Patrick, as well as defenceman Samuel Girard and centre Tyson Jost of the Colorado Avalanche.

NHL teams have until Dec. 19 to decide if they will loan those players for the tournament.

THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Goaltender Carter Hart celebrates Team Canada’s victory over Sweden during the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship semifinal on Jan. 4. Hart has been invited to Team Canada’s selection camp roster for the 2018 world juniors.