The 2023 World Juniors are less than a month away and Team Canada has taken the first step in finalizing its roster.
Canada has invited 30 players to its selection camp ahead of the U20 tournament. As expected, leading the way for the invitees are 2023 draft standouts Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli. While Bedard was a member of the 2022 team, it will be the first chance for Fantilli at the World Juniors, as he steps away from his sensational freshman season at the University of Michigan.
Other returners from the gold-medal winning 2022 team on the initial camp roster are Stars prospect Logan Stankoven, Ducks selection Olen Zellweger, Rangers pick Brennan Othmann and Canadiens prospect Joshua Roy. Shane Wright returns after he was loaned from the Kraken.
Other players loaned from their NHL organization are Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke and Coyotes wing Dylan Guenther. Stars forward Wyatt Johnston will not play for Canada and instead stick with Dallas.
Among the notable omissions from the team are Matthew Savoie, Conor Geekie and Denton Mateychuk, who were all top-15 picks in the 2022 draft. There are also a couple of NHL players like Shane Wright, Wyatt Johnston, Brandt Clarke and Dylan Guenther who may be loaned from their respective teams to play for Canada.
New coach Dennis Williams and his crew will have to cut the roster to 25 before the team embarks to the Maritimes for the competition, where they aim to repeat as gold medalists.
MORE: Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli headline potential 2023 Canada World Juniors lineup
Here is a look at the players that have been invited to camp for Team Canada.
Team Canada pre-tournament camp roster
Forwards
| Player | Team | NHL Rights |
|---|---|---|
| Caeden Bankier | Kamloops (WHL) | Wild |
| Owen Beck | Mississauga (OHL) | Canadiens |
| Connor Bedard* | Regina (WHL) | 2023 Draft |
| Zachary Bolduc | Quebec (QMJHL) | Blues |
| Colton Dach | Kelowna (WHL) | Blackhawks |
| Zack Dean | Gatineau (QMJHL) | Golden Knights |
| Jordan Dumais | Halifax (QMJHL) | Blue Jackets |
| Adam Fantilli | Michigan (NCAA) | 2023 Draft |
| Nathan Gaucher* | Quebec (QMJHL) | Ducks |
| Ryan Greene | Boston University (NCAA) | Blackhawks |
| Riley Kidney* | Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) | Canadiens |
| Zack Ostapchuk* | Vancouver (WHL) | Senators |
| Brennan Othmann* | Peterborough (OHL) | Rangers |
| Joshua Roy* | Sherbrooke (QMJHL) | Canadiens |
| Reid Schaefer | Seattle (WHL) | Oilers |
| Logan Stankoven* | Kamloops (WHL) | Stars |
| Shane Wright | Seattle (NHL) | Kraken |
Defense
| Player | Team | NHL Rights |
|---|---|---|
| Nolan Allen | Seattle (WHL) | Blackhawks |
| Brandt Clarke | Los Angeles (NHL) | Kings |
| Ethan Del Mastro* | Mississauga (OHL) | Blackhawks |
| Tyson Hinds | Sherbrooke (QMJHL) | Ducks |
| Kevin Korchinski | Seattle (WHL) | Blackhawks |
| Carson Lambos | Winnipeg (WHL) | Wild |
| Jack Matier | Ottawa (OHL) | Predators |
| Evan Nause | Quebec (QMJHL) | Panthers |
| Ethan Samson | Prince George (WHL) | Flyers |
| Olen Zellweger* | Everett (WHL) | Ducks |
Goalies
| Player | Team | NHL Rights |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Brennan | Prince George (WHL) | Devils |
| Benjamin Gaudreau | Sarnia (OHL) | Sharks |
| Thomas Milic | Seattle (WHL) | 2023 Draft |
| William Rousseau | Quebec (QMJHL) | 2023 Draft |
* = returner from 2022
When do the 2023 World Juniors start?
- Start date: December 26, 2022
- End date: January 5, 2023
With the 2023 tournament starting at the normal time of the year, that means the competition kicks off the day after Christmas, December 26.
The group stage starts will take place over the first six days. The quarterfinals will be played on Jan. 2, the semifinals on Jan. 4 and the tournament will conclude with the bronze and gold medal games on Jan. 5.
How to watch 2023 World Juniors games on TV, live stream
- TV channel (Canada): TSN
- Live stream (Canada): TSN.ca, TSN app
- TV channel (U.S.): NHL Network
- Live stream (U.S.): fuboTV
TSN and the NHL Network will once again be home to all of the action for the 2023 World Juniors.
Canadian viewers can watch the competition on TSN or can stream the games through TSN.ca or on the TSN app.
The American audience can view the games live on TV on the NHL Network, or can stream them through fuboTV.
MORE: Watch the 2023 World Juniors live with fuboTV (free trial, U.S. only)
Where are the 2023 World Juniors?
- Location: Halifax N.S./Moncton, N.B.
- Venue: Scotiabank Centre/Avenir Centre
The World Juniors will once again be split between two host cities, as the tournament will be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick.
The games in Halifax will be played at the Scotiabank Centre, the home of the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads. Any of the contests in Moncton will be played at the Avenir Centre, where the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats call home.
This will be the second time Halifax is a host city for the World Juniors. Previously, the 2003 World Juniors were split between Halifax and Sydney, N.S. Moncton has never hosted the World Juniors before.
The 2023 tournament was originally planned to be held in Russia, with Novosibirsk and Omsk as the two host cities. However, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, their rights were pulled by the IIHF.